Journey Home
by Marika
Summary: *inserted Chapter 11, added new chapters* the story of a young jedi and her search for her mother's murderer. But there is one hiding among her allies who has a secret...
1. I

Lotah glanced across the crowded restaurant at a table set against the wall. There were two men and a woman sitting there, their backed hunched over as if they were discussing something private. The woman was obviously part alien, very tall and thin with a thin layer of hair all over her body, wide yellow eyes, and claws. The men were human - one was dark haired, and was wearing a dirty lab coat; the other had a blaster attached to his belt, and wore a dour expression.   
  
There they are. Lotah shifted in her seat and took another bite of the unknown meat in front of her. It was the cheapest thing on the menu, and even with all the traveling she'd done, she couldn't distinguish the flavor. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know what it was.  
  
She strained her eyes in the dim light and the smoke to get a better look at their faces. Quickly reaffirming that they were the ones who had put out the request for a guide, she returned her eyes to her plate and scraped at the last of the mystery meat. Whatever it was, it was filling. Lotah started to get up, intending to ask about the job now, but something in a booth two tables away caught her eye. Slowly sliding back into her seat, she fiddled with her fork for a few seconds. Reaching back, she removed the clasp that held her in a knot at the back of her neck. Her hair fell across her face, obscuring it, and only then did she look at the being in the booth.  
  
It was a Rodian, and despite herself, she felt her lips curl back in a sneer, as if she had tasted something very sour. Nasty creatures, Rodians had almost no power in the universe, and got back at that universe by being mean to everyone in it. She couldn't tell at this distance whether it was male or female, but it didn't matter. They took a certain delight in memorizing the faces of wanted criminals, big and small, so long as there was a reward. That way they were sure to ruin someone's life, while ensuring that they got some money out of the deal. The Imperial bounty for her wasn't worth anyone's time, but the bounty that her former master had placed on her was more substantial. Not big enough for a bounty hunter to search for her, but still a decent amount of money. The Rodian had almost certainly spotted her.  
  
But almost certainly wasn't good enough. He/she might be watching someone else, in which case Lotah was fine. Her trademark violet eyes and streaked hair were hidden respectively by colored lenses and hair dyes, so she looked like any other traveler or tourist. Normally she didn't bother with such deceptions, but the number of scumbags on her tail had increased on the last few planets. Last time she had checked the bounty on her was only a hundred credits, but things might have changed. She had to check again, and soon.  
  
She started to stand again, and the Rodian visibly jumped, its shiny black eyes reflecting the lights in the bar, standing out against green scaly skin. Lotah started cursing to herself, but forced herself to walk to the bar, where she asked for a glass of water. The bartender hissed in disgust and let forth a jet of steam. Lotah ignored him and took the glass it offered. Seeing her start to drink, the Rodian relaxed. She sipped the water, which was warm and stale, and watched both the strangers' and the Rodian's table.  
  
She didn't want to risk letting the strangers out of her sight, and letting someone else get the job. She needed to get off-planet, and fast, the Rodian was proof enough of that. But she couldn't risk letting the Rodian see her talking to the strangers. She had to loose him/her fast and get back here before she lost the job. Lotah really didn't feel like stowing away on a cargo ship again.  
  
Abruptly she set down the glass and strode across the room to her table, where she dropped a few credits on the plate to pay for the meal - the last thing she needed was to get a criminal record, no matter how small, on another planet. Grabbing her bag, she hurried out the door, catching a glance of the Rodian getting to his/her feet.  
  
Lotah hurried down the street and ran into the mob of sentinents out for a day of souvenir hunting in the pavilion. Street vendors pushed their goods in carts in front of them or set up small huts along the walls of the actual buildings, and thin reed poles that supported the second level were everywhere.  
  
Originally the second level had just been a bunch of reeds thrown over the open area between houses; meant to provide shade for the tourists shopping below. Then someone realized that there was an entire second set of streets above the first, and within weeks that level had been reinforced and strengthened, and a whole new group of vendors had set up shop there. Unfortunately, the support structure for the entire level was still the thin reeds, which rotted out quickly, so collapses were common. Whenever that happened, the local merchants patched it up as quickly and cheaply as they could. Consequently, there were more and more support reeds popping up, and collapses were happening more and more often. Lotah wondered how many of the tourists knew about the dangers, and if they had, how many of them would have ventured onto the second level.   
  
Lotah had barely gotten a hundred feet into the crush when she heard a shout. Turning around, she saw the Rodian pointing at her and yelling at a humanoid. A few seconds later several large humans and humanoids started wading through the crowd towards her, followed by the Rodian.  
  
She turned and fled into the crowd, trying to outdistance the thugs. They had no real skills, at fighting or otherwise, and could be bought for just a few credits. She had seen them hanging around the doors to bars and other such places of entertainment. However, there were five or six of them, and she wasn't sure that she could get far enough away to loose them and also get back to the restaurant in time to get the job.  
  
Slipping her hand into her bag, she loosened the straps that held her eye-lens case and a spray of nullifier for the hair dye. Suddenly she dropped into a crouch, and ran, bent-over, into the nearest shop. Wrinkling her nose at the strong aroma of the incense being sold there, she looked back into the crowd for the thugs. They were not yet aware that they had lost her, and were still trying to push their way though the crowds.  
  
Perfect. She removed the lenses that made her eyes look brown, and sprayed the nullifier in her hair. A few seconds later, the dark brown dye faded, revealing black hair streaked with thin lines of violet. They had just realized that they'd lost her and were gathered around a bunch of support poles, where the crowds were thinner. They were obviously trying to figure out what to do when the Rodian pushed his way towards the poles, shouting insults at them.  
  
Lotah couldn't have asked for a better scenario. She took a couple of deep breaths, calming herself so that she could concentrate. In a few seconds she was in a half-trance, and she reached outward with her mind, to the poles where the thugs were standing, and quickly pinpointed the weakest of them. With a quick tug of her mind she snapped it in half, and the rest also snapped as the extra weight came down on them. The second level collapsed down on top of the Rodian and his thugs.   
  
Lotah waited a half-second for the pain to hit her. She never liked to use her powers to steal, or destroy, and she absolutely hated having to use them to hurt anyone. She only used them in truly dangerous situations, and even then she always knew when someone had been hurt. She still had nightmares about when she turned on that speeder and ran it into an Imperial agent who was searching for her. She broke his hip, and every time she used her powers she remembered his scream. Lotah shuddered.  
  
This time, however, there were only a few twinges of pain. By some twist of luck, no one had been standing on the section of the second level that collapsed. It had provided the distraction she needed, though, so she pulled a black cloak out of her bag and put it on.  
  
Now looking like a completely different person from the one who had stepped into the store, Lotah reentered the crush. The thugs were still trying to extricate themselves from the tangle of dirt and reeds when Lotah passed them, her face hidden deep within the folds of the cloak. There was a slight smile on her face as she headed back to the restaurant.  
  
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Melana stared at the empty glass in front of her, then glanced at her chronometer. They had been in this dump for almost three hours now, and there was no sign that anyone had even heard about their job. I guess we'd better move on... She sighed and dug into her pocket for the credits to pay for all the drinks she and her companions had drunk in the time since they'd arrived.  
  
Tiros Une, seeing her actions, nodded and stood up. "Finally giving up?" he asked, a smug smile on his face.  
  
Melana repressed the growl that came to her lips. She had hired *him*, and even though she hadn't invited him to come along now, attacking him wouldn't help matters. Taking a deep breath, she silently used the calming techniques that Jedi Master Skywalker had taught her. In a few seconds the Huntlust lessened to the point where she could ignore it. She opened her eyes to regard her pilot.  
  
He was a human, medium in height and build, with graying blond hair and a chin full of stubble. He'd been in the business a long time and was still alive, which was in itself a tribute to his skill. He and his first mate (who also happened to be his son) were well known at most of the major ports, and some of the minor ones. She had, in fact, found him through the owner of the local hanger. The same went for mercenary she had hired.  
  
And that was exactly the problem. They were all too well known. They could be easily recognized at any port, and while it meant that they had connections, it also meant that they were obvious. They couldn't walk into a shop or bar and quietly buy something. That's what she was looking for. Someone to be anonymous. There were lots of planet-hoppers in search of a few extra credits around here, people who knew their way around and weren't noticeable. At least that's what she had been told. So far, no one had showed.  
  
She had explained all of this to Tiros before, and she got the impression that she had somehow insulted his intelligence. "I'm moving on to the next bar." Seeing his frown, she added, "No one forced you to come."  
  
"I need to see the people who're going to be on my ship."  
  
"Except that it's *my* ship."  
  
"As long as I'm piloting it, it's mine. If you don't like it, you can fly it yourself."  
  
This time, Melana actually did growl. It started in the back of her throat and vibrated in her voice box, amplifying the sound until she could feel it throughout her entire body. She had been told that to full humans, her growling sounded a lot like the purring of a cat, but no other member of her species would ever mistake a growl to mean anything but the threat that it was.  
  
Apparently Tiros had some dealings with Cats before, because he didn't mistake her growl for a pleased purr. He didn't back off, though. "Listen, lady... Melana," he corrected himself before she could take offense. "I don't want any trouble, and I do want the job, but I want the right to veto anyone that you pick. I've been around a while longer than you and I've seen a bit more, and I'm just watching out for my own skin and that of your ship."  
  
Melana nodded slowly. She was still angry, but he was trying to be reasonable, and she would do the same. "Agreed."  
  
"Melana..." a soft, scratchy voice intruded on Melana's thoughts. Surprised, she glanced at Kenneth Ron, the scientist. He was so quiet that she'd forgotten he was there.  
  
She had automatically excluded him when she was looking for someone to walk the streets anonymously. A tall, skinny man with dark hair and a bad overbite, he looked pathetically incapable of dealing with real life. Poor thing, he probably wouldn't last five minutes on the streets of any major city.  
  
Kenneth was pointing across the table. Melana looked, and there was a young girl standing at the table, watching her. She was a striking-looking human, with violet eyes and dark hair striped with gray and violet. The girl was carrying a large duffel-bag on a strap on her shoulder. "Are you the ones offering a job?"   
  
Melana was taken aback. This wasn't the type of person she had expected would come by. A few aliens, some locals eager to get off planet, people who had been fired from whatever ship brought them here, stranding them, but not children!   
  
"Why should I hire you?" she managed to ask. It would be easier to get rid of her once she revealed how little experience she actually had.   
  
The girl glanced behind her at the door. "May I sit down?"  
  
She's stalling, was Melana's first thought, but then she decided it was a reasonable request. She nodded, and the girl grabbed a chair, pulled it up to the table, and sat down. "I'm a good worker," she said suddenly, "if I'm given fair wages. I was working on a cruise ship for two years before I got stuck here."  
  
"Why aren't you still on there?" Tiros asked suspiciously.  
  
"The business went under. We were attacked by pirates who stole just about everything. Between the lawsuits from the passengers who had lost valuables in the raid, and the cost of the damage to the ship, it was just too much. They paid off the crew and declared bankruptcy."   
  
Melana nodded. "Fine. But none of that explains why I should hire you instead of the hundreds of other beings who're out of work on this planet."  
  
The girl stared at the table for a few seconds, as if she was planning what she would say. "I have a lot of unusual talents. I worked for the floor show, and I have a lot of experience using makeup. With just a few basic supplies I can make myself look very different. I can get in and out of just about any place quietly. I can handle myself in a fight." She stopped and looked expectantly at the people at the table.   
  
Melana looked at Tiros. She had agreed to let him approve anyone she hired, but didn't want to have him openly disagree with her. He was still watching the girl, but glanced at Melana and nodded slightly. Melana turned back to the girl. "You've got the job. We're at hanger 76. Here's a pass to get in. We leave precisely at 7 o'clock standard time. Don't be late."   
  
The girl nodded. "I won't. Thanks." She grabbed the pass and glanced around the room again. She seemed awfully nervous. "I'll be there." Swinging her bag back up on her shoulder, she hurried out the door.  
  
"I heading back," Melana told her companions, and dropped several credits on the table.  
  
"Wait a second," Tiros said. "I'm warning you... don't trust that girl. She's hiding something. You see how she kept glancing around the room? Someone's after her, mark me."  
  
"Then why did you say it was all right for me to hire her?"  
  
"Because she's as good as she says she is with makeup. I saw her earlier, watching us. Her hair and eyes were a completely different color. It was only because she was wearing the same clothes that I picked her out. She got up and left in a hurry, with a Rodian hot on her trail. Just keep an eye on her," he finished. He stood up and left.  
  
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Tian jumped as a blaster bolt whizzed by his head, narrowly missing him. He spun around, crouching on the ground beside an overturned table. Scanning the area in front of him, he couldn't see who had shot at him. Come on, come on... he's got to be here somewhere...  
  
He heard a click behind him. Again he spun around, and a light flashed in front of his eyes. Then everything went dark.  
  
"Damn it!"   
  
Tian straightened up as the computer's melodious voice announced, "Simulation over. Fourteen out of fifteen targets hit. Would you like to play again?"  
  
He glanced at his chronometer. "Not today," he answered cheerfully. "Got some people to meet."  
  
"Please exit the simulator." Tian did, barely glancing at the alien who was already waiting for her turn in the simulator. He strode through the hall that lead to the sims, and walked out the door without a backwards glance.  
  
As he stepped onto the street, someone grabbed his arm, pulling him roughly to the side. Tian immediately jerked his arm away from the unknown assailant and drew his blaster.  
"Dad!" he exclaimed.  
  
"A little jumpy?" his father asked snidely.  
  
"Just got out of the sims," Tian answered, shoving his blaster back into the holster. "Give me a little warning next time. I might have shot you."  
  
"Sorry." His father dismissed the issue. "How'd you do?"  
  
"Fourteen out of fifteen on level nine."  
  
"Not bad. Is that a new record for you?" Tian nodded. "Congratulations." Tian nodded again, waiting for his father to get to the point. He knew from experience that there was nothing he could say or do to get his father to act or talk faster. So he had learned to be patient, at least when dealing with Tiros. But that didn't mean he liked it.  
  
"We have another passenger," Tiros said suddenly.   
  
"We've handled rough characters before," Tian answered confidently.  
  
"This one's different," Tiros countered, kicking at a rock on the ground. Something was really bothering him, and he was very uneasy talking about it.  
  
"Why? What is it? A Wookie? A Rodian?"  
  
"A girl."  
  
Oh. So that's it. He's worried I'll get involved with a client. "Don't worry, Dad. We've had female clients before. I know how to handle myself. I'm not a kid anymore."  
  
"This one isn't like anyone we've flown with before." Tian started to walk down the road. "Damn it, Tian, listen to me! She's hiding something and she has a Rodian on her tail."  
  
"A Rodian? They'll follow someone who found a credit on the floor of a restaurant. Besides, if she's so dangerous, why are we taking her on a job?"  
  
"Because the cat-lady picked the girl, and then gave me a reminder that it's her ship. I didn't need to go head to head with our newest boss."  
  
Tian made a rude noise. "A ship that she can barely fly." His father didn't answer. "Who else we got coming along?"  
  
"Besides the cat-lady and the girl, there's a scientist, Kenneth something, and a mercenary."  
  
"A scientist and a mercenary? What kind of job is this?"  
  
"The kind that pays well. I've signed a contract for 3 weeks, but it's extendible. And we can get out at anytime. I'm getting too old to go chasing around the galaxy shooting everything that moves."  
  
Tian remained silent, estimating that there was nothing he could say that wouldn't get him in trouble. They unlocked and opened the door and stepped inside. Then Tian slammed the door to make sure it was locked. You could never be too careful.  
Without a word, both men walked to the stock YT-1300 transport, to check the hall and systems for any flaws that could prove fatal in space. The ship was almost completely unmodified, a fact that surprised Tian. It was a common enough type of ship, but most were modified to a point almost beyond recognition. The fact that this was not modified at all showed either the pilot's total lack of experience or the newness of the ship. Tian was leaning towards the former.   
  
They finished the hull and were working on the systems check when the cat-woman arrived with a man. Looking down from the cockpit, Tian decided that the man had to be the scientist. Only a scientist could look that geeky. He saw his father go out to meet them, put the issue out of his mind, and finished the check.   
  
As he stepped out of the ship, the outer door unlocked with a click. Everyone in the hanger, except for a scientist, was immediately on guard, hands reaching for blasters.   
A large black man stepped through the door, closing it carefully behind him. He was wearing a small arsenal on his body, and Tian got the uneasy feeling that he couldn't even see all the weapons. He gripped his blaster a little more carefully, and looked at his dad. Tiros and the cat woman were both relaxing, removing their hands from their weapons.  
  
Tian relaxed, too. They recognized the black man, which meant that he had to be the mercenary. He looked completely able to hold off an entire pirate attack by himself. Tian walked up to where his father, the cat-woman, and the scientist were standing together.  
"This is my 1st mate, and son, Tian," Tiros was saying as Tian stepped up. "Tian, this is Melana, of the Parantha Clan, and Kenneth Ron, and that is Lorb Brol." He gestured to the stone-faced man approaching. Lorb grunted and bobbed his head. "We're just waiting for the girl, then we'll get going. You can stow your stuff inside," he added to the mercenary, who turned and walked up the ramp into the ship.   
  
"Ah, miss?" the scientist...Kenneth...asked meekly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What exactly are we doing?"  
  
"I'll tell everyone once we're under way." Lorb reappeared from inside the ship, still wearing all of the weapons.  
  
The lock on the door clicked, and the door swung open. A hooded figure in a long black cloak stepped through.  
  
Tian found it amazing how quickly a blaster appeared in Lorb's hands. The figure in black froze. "Hands up," Lorb ordered. Melana, Tian, and Tiros also drew their weapons.  
The figure raised it's hands slowly to the hood and pushed it back. Tian stared.  
It was a pretty girl. She had strange eyes, that quickly took in the entire hanger, or so it seemed. She was frowning slightly, and looked to be a few years younger than he.  
Melana and Tiros lowered their weapons. Tiros was very touchy right now, and Tian wondered again what type of job this was. Despite his comment, Tiros seemed quiet ready to 'go chasing around the galaxy shooting everything that moves.' The girl started walking towards the group. Her eyes fell on him and the slight frown deepened. He realized that he was staring, and hastily shoved his blaster back into the holster.  
  
She stepped up to Melana and turned her head upward to look the tall woman directly in the face. "It's a hot day to wear a heavy cloak," Melana commented.  
  
"I'm comfortable," the girl answered.  
  
Melana glanced at her chronometer. "Let's get going. We've only got fifteen minutes until my visa runs out." She smiled slightly and jumped into the ship.   
Tian halted, surprised by the maneuver. It was almost fifteen feet from the base of the ramp to the top, and Melana had been standing a few feet from the base of the ramp. He hadn't realized that the Cats had gotten anything else in their evolving other than the strange faces. Apparently they had gotten some extra strength in the deal. He made a mental note to find out what planetary society had spawned the Cats.   
  
In the pause, the girl moved on to the ship ahead of him. That startled him out of his paralysis. He started after her when his dad grabbed his arm. "Remember, Tian. Watch out for her," he warned.  
  
Tian shot him a disgusted look and headed onto the ship.  
  
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Tian slid into the copilot's seat, and glanced at his father. Despite Tiros's warning, he had followed the girl up into the main bunk area of the ship. It wasn't very big, with six bunks that slid out from the walls, all meant for humanoid body types, and each with a small compartment underneath the beds for personal items. By the time he caught up with her, the girl was already stowed her bag in a compartment, and was in the process of removing her cloak.  
  
He stopped in the door and watched her. The shirt she had underneath the cloak was drenched with sweat. That was what warned him. As she stuffed the cloak into the compartment, she sighed and pulled her shirt away from her skin several times, fanning herself. Straightening up, she lifted her long hair away from her neck.  
  
"I'm comfortable," she had said before. She did not look at all comfortable. There was something odd here.  
  
Then the girl froze and dropped the hair. Slowly turning around, she eyed Tian. For a few seconds her eyes looked dark and suspicious. Suddenly they changed, loosing the suspicion and turning bright and innocent. The change was astonishing. "Hello," she said quietly. His distrust increased substantially.  
  
"I just came to stash my stuff." He picked up his bag from the spot on the floor where he had dropped it earlier. Stuffing his bag into an unoccupied compartment, he glanced over his shoulder at the girl. She was staring at him, her eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled out the card coder that locked the door. "You should find a seat, we're taking off soon," he said, and walked out of the room.  
  
Now he was helping Tiros start the ship, debating whether or not to tell his father what he had seen. Above the ship, the doors to the hanger opened.  
  
Tiros had been speaking to traffic control. Now he looked at Tian. "We've got clearance. Everything set?"  
  
Tian glanced around the panel in front of him, automatically checking for any signs of system failure. There were none. "Everything's in the green."  
  
Tiros flicked on the inter-ship com, and said, "Everyone sit down, we're taking off." He glanced at his son and asked, "You want to take it this time?" He gestured to the steering rudder.  
  
Tian accepted the offer with a broad grin, and laid his hands on the controls. Expertly guiding the craft out of the hanger and then the atmosphere, Tian barely noticed when Melana walked up behind his chair.   
  
Only when she shoved a data card in front of him did it register in his mind that there was someone behind him. He started and began to turn around to check that everything was all right, momentarily forgetting that his hands were still on the controls. The ship started to swerve. Sensing the change in the ship's angle of inclination even before he realized what had happened, he automatically adjusted, so the ship literally rolled over but didn't deviate from its heading.   
  
Muttering curses to himself, Tian flicked on the auto-pilot. He again started to turn around when he caught a glance of the look on his father's face.  
  
Tiros looked like he was about to burst with uncontrollable laughter. "Nice flying," he muttered, trying unsuccessfully to hide his smile behind one hand.   
  
"Stop looking at me like that!" Tian exclaimed. His comment only caused his father to burst out laughing. It was a deep chuckling sound, and even at the best of times it drove him crazy. "All right! I'm sorry!" His father only laughed harder. "Won't you just give me a break?!" At this point, Tiros got up from his chair, still chuckling, and left the cockpit.  
  
Melana stepped up in the space where Tiros had been sitting and held out the data card. "Here's the coordinates of the destination. Put them into the navi-computer and come on back when we're in hyperspace."  
  
He took the data card and turned back to the controls, but not before he was the smile that she had been struggling to hide. For all the differences between their faces, Melana's smile looked amazingly like Tiros's.   
  
Tian angrily started pushing buttons, punching the coordinates into the navi-computer.  
  
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"We're on our way," Tian said as he sat down. Melana watched him carefully, he seemed to have gotten control of himself. "Where are we going anyway?"  
  
Melana glanced around the room. Everyone was there, each one seated on one of the beds in the main bunk. Lorb was leaning back against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was still wearing several blasters and a grenade at his waist. The girl was kneeling on her bed, her hair falling across her face. Kenneth was sitting gingerly at the edge of his bed, glancing nervously around the room. Tiros and Tian were seated on beds right next to each other in identical positions, leaning forward, resting their elbows on their knees. Except for the lines of scales lining Tian's face, Tian could have been a younger version of Tiros. Melena wondered who was the mother that had given Tian that face.   
  
It had to be an alien. Somehow the boy had managed to inherit only a thin line of scales that started at his temples and traced his hairline down to his ears, where they continued down his neck. There his shirt broke off the line, but she could see the line of scales extended down his hand, tracing the middle finger. His hair was a dark brown, but sometimes when the light hit it right, it had a greenish tinge. Melana wondered if he had the same problems with prejudices against part-humans that she did.   
  
"We're going to my home world," here she paused. "It's designation is PC-348, and is known by many different names by the inhabitants. My people call it 'Nalaskya.'"  
  
"A PC designation?" Lorb asked. "I've heard of that, somewhere. What is it?"  
  
Melana saw the girl's jaw drop. She must be more traveled then she let on, if she knew the meaning of the designation. It was a pretty obscure reference. "It stands for Prison Colony, established several hundred years ago during the time of the New Republic. There haven't been new prisoners shipped in for five generations, and none in my Clan for eight."  
  
Everyone was quiet, watching her intently. "You're from a prison colony?" Lorb rumbled. Melana started. His voice was deep enough that it almost sounded like a warning growl. Every time he spoke she had to fight an urge to attack him.  
  
"Originally, that's what it was," Melana took a deep breath and drew on the power inside of her. "Now I'm not trying to deceive anyone. I didn't hire any of you to help out on my planet. The people who settled it were criminals, and it's still mostly lawless. My mother was the chief of my Clan for fifteen years - that's a record for my people, because you only hold the leader position as long as you're the strongest. Once you gain the chieftain's position, your life is constantly at risk. Leaders who last for more than five years are considered either very strong or very popular.   
  
"There's another aspect. Competition between the Clans is always very fierce, and we set traps for each other all over the planet. Except for the spaceport, leaving your own territory is almost always a death sentence. Life there is often short. I am the only one left alive from a litter of 12, and there are only 15 total left in my age group from almost 100. I'm just warning you. I advise that you all wait in the ship until I get back. Even if the mission ends there, I'll still pay you. You're no good to me if you get killed in the forests."  
  
"So what is the mission?" Tian asked.   
  
Melana closed her eyes, trying to find some peace of mind. "My mother was ousted as chieftain two months ago."  
  
"Ousted?" Kenneth asked.  
  
"She was killed by one of the members of my tribe. Then there was a contest, and the winner took over as chieftain. I want to find out who killed her."  
  
"Isn't that simple enough? Whoever is the new chieftain is the murderer."  
  
"Not necessarily. The murderer might not have been strong enough to win the contest."  
  
"Wait a second... if murders are so common, and there's no law, what do you expect to accomplish by finding the murderer?" the girl asked.   
  
"Who are you?" Melana asked, realizing that she didn't even know the girl's name.  
  
"What?" the girl seemed startled by the question.   
  
"You never told me your name."  
  
"Oh," she seemed relieved. "I'm Lotah."  
  
"Lotah what?" Tian practically jumped on the question.   
  
"Lotah Heriskcha," she replied without missing a beat.   
  
"OK, Lotah," Melana placed a certain emphasis on the girl's name. "My mother was poisoned. Our planet is not completely lawless. There are certain rules that you have to follow when assassinating a chieftain. If it is done by poison, the poison must be a species native to my planet. For that reason poisons are not usually used. My mother knew all of the poisons located on the planet - she had been teaching me to recognize them by scent since I was a child. She wouldn't have been fooled by a local poison."  
  
"So?" Tian asked.  
  
"If I can prove that my mother was killed by an imported toxin, I can make sure that the individual who arranged it never gains a position of power in my tribe or the planetary government. I'm not sure how long it will take to find that person, or where we'll have to go. That's why I hired you, to be prepared for any situation we might encounter on any different planet."  
  
"This is all assuming that your mother was killed by a foreign poison," Tiros observed.   
  
Melana caught herself before she could growl. It was hard living among these humans! They passed insults like it was a joke. "That's why we're going there first. I should be able to find out whether or not my mother was killed fairly in a few days. If she was, we'll start from there. Any questions?" She glanced around the room, but no one said anything. "Please let me know when we reach the planet," she said to the pilots. They nodded, and she stood up and left the room.  
  
Once she left the room, she paused, struck by indecision. What she really wanted was to pull up the life history of the girl, Lotah. She was beginning to regret her decision to hire the girl. She had been very careful about who she had hired, up until the girl. Melana was getting very nervous about how little she knew about Lotah.   
Finally she turned towards the cargo bay. The ship was supposed to be a carrier or something, because they had three times the amount of space to store supplies than they could possibly use. So Melana had used a large piece of heavy cloth to divide the cargo bay into roughly two equal parts. The part closest to the door was the actual cargo bay, and the section further from the door she had converted into her own private quarters. Now there was a little bed-cushion, a small chest with some of her possessions, and most importantly, privacy.   
  
Stepping into the cargo bay, Melana looked around. There wasn't a lot of room on this side of the brown curtain. With all of the room in the cargo bay, there would have been plenty of room, but with only half the space, the supplies were stacked on top of each other almost to the ten foot high ceiling. There was one small aisle down the middle of the bay clear of boxes and the bright red straps that held them in place. The room was lit by light strips running all around the curved edge of the room.   
  
Walking through the stacks of boxes, Melana carefully checked the black writing on the sides to make sure that all of the supplies were where they were supposed to be. Food, camping equipment, it was all there. She was pretty well set, she hoped.   
  
Pushing aside the curtain, she stepped into her 'room.' Sighing, she sank down onto the bed cushion, folding her legs up underneath her. Rubbing her hands against her forehead, Melana tried to massage away the sharp pains running through her brain. It wasn't working, so she unsheathed one of claws and dug it into the skin above her right eyebrow. It still didn't help.   
  
Melana gave up. She lay down on the cushions and positioned herself so that she was comfortable. Then she closed her eyes and reached for the Force. A few seconds later she felt stirrings in the energy around her. As the Force flowed through her, the pain in her first lessened, then disappeared completely. She breathed a sigh of relief.   
  
Now she extended her senses outward, trying to sense the people around her, the way Master Skywalker had taught her. Tried to teach her, anyway. No, not now. There is no try. There is no emotion, there is peace. She attempted to clear her mind again, and this time came a lot closer to success. Again she reached outward.   
  
One by one, she found five different life-forms in different parts of the ship. As she touched each person, she could feel the slight tremor in the Force that marked their life-force. All except the last person - whoever that was, they pulled back from her touch with a flash of terror.   
  
In her surprise, she lost her concentration and came out of her half-trance. Silently wishing that she had better control so that she could identify individuals instead of just life-forms, Melana relaxed herself again. She reached out again, but whoever it was that had reacted before didn't react again. Frustrated, Melana returned her attention to her own body. Her breath had slowed, and so had her heartbeat - she carefully brought both up to normal levels.   
  
She opened her eyes and sat up. Carefully arranging herself against the wall, she reentered the trance. This time she kept her eyes open. When she could feel the Force flowing through her, she let her eyes roam around the room. They settled on a small data pad resting on the chest in the corner. Carefully watching the data pad, she reached out with her mind and tried to pick up the data pad. Nothing. She took a deep breath and tried again. The data pad shuddered slightly. Encouraged, she reached out again, and managed to raise the pad a half-centimeter above the surface of the chest. Then she was hit by a wave of exhaustion and dropped the pad. It clattered loudly as it fell to the floor.   
  
Melana lay down again, exhausted and dejected. She wished that she had more practice with telekinesis - but she had never had much talent for it, and when she started her training, when she still wanted to follow her mother as chieftain, it had seemed wiser to look at the mental aspects of being a Jedi rather than being able to move small objects. Forcing someone to do her bidding would have made her almost unstoppable as a warrior, and would have made it easy for her to become chieftain.   
  
Melana shuddered. Such objectives were no longer desirable to her, an opinion that had alienated her from her mother and from the rest of her race. She remembered her mother's disbelief when Melana told her that she wouldn't be returning to try to gain leadership. She wouldn't have believed it either, not until she spent some time at the Jedi Academy. There she met people from planets that could barely support life, and from planets where war was a foreign concept. There she learned the value of peace, and then realized that she wouldn't be able to find satisfaction in her old lifestyle anymore.   
  
Master Skywalker had been very helpful in helping her through the transition - more so than she had any right to expect. He didn't answer any of her questions, either about the galaxy or the change, but he gave her the data cubes she requested on space flight and interplanetary travel, and then practically gave her the shuttle and supplies when she found about her mother's death and wanted to find out what had happened. He did all of that for her, and didn't say anything but to warn her about the dangers inherent in revenge, danger in submitting to the Dark Side.  
  
Sometimes she was hesitant to use the Force, for fear of turning to the Dark Side when the Huntlust came on. Her mother had said something about that too, that she would never be able to be a lover of peace - it was too much against her nature, and some day she would revert back to her proper form and become the warrior that she was. Then her mother had cut off the link.  
  
Her strength was coming back, now, and Melana struggled to her feet and began exercising, doing the same warmups she had used since she was a child, when she was first learning to hunt. Someone at the Academy had commented on this too, that she could never truly be a keeper of peace, because she wouldn't let go of her warrior side. But Master Skywalker never said anything, so she kept doing her exercises.   
  
First she stretched, relaxing one muscle at a time. Once she was loose, she kicked up into a handstand and carefully balanced herself. She could still feel the Force flowing through her, but this way it was different, more natural. Smiling to herself, she split her legs apart, carefully measuring the distance so that she would stay balanced. Slowly she brought her legs back to a vertical position, and kicked down. She had barely worked up a sweat, that would change.   
  
Over the next forty-five minutes she went through a series of exercises, and managed to tire herself out. She was in the middle of her second round of stretching when someone rapped on the wall next to the curtain. The sound of metal hitting metal grated in her ears.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Tian stuck his head through the space between the wall and the curtain. "We're approaching your system."  
  
Melana nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."   
  
Tian nodded, then made a sloppy salute with his blaster. "Whatever you say."  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
"Captain, we just received the report," the young soldier who stood before her looked very nervous. A bad sign.   
  
"And?"  
  
"She's left the system, sir."  
  
"How?" A tone of outrage crept into her voice.  
  
"We were tracking her, through some locals, and then she just disappeared. By the time we found her she was on another ship that had just jumped out of the system."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"We-we're not sure, sir. Near as we can tell, some local decided to collect on the bounty himself. A Rodian was seen following her out of a bar, and later that same Rodian and a bunch of thugs were pulled out of some rubble."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"A floor collapsed on them."  
  
"Of course. And then?"  
  
"Well, our agent left the bar to find the girl. He couldn't, so he went back to the bar. There someone informed him that the girl was seen speaking to a bunch of strangers. The girl was given a pass to a hanger, and then she left. By the time he traced the people back to their hanger, they had already left. Then he informed us."  
  
"Too late for us to trace the ship."  
  
"Ah, yes sir." The man was sweating, and swallowed convulsively several times.   
  
"Do you have the current location of our agent?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Eliminate him."  
  
"Yes sir." Despite himself, the man let out his breath in relief. Captain Randel fought the urge to smile at the boy's predicament. He was her newest communications officer, the last in a long line. For some reason, her communications officers never seemed to last long. That probably contributed to his fear.   
  
"Do we have any idea who these people are or where they were going?"  
  
"So far we only have an ID on the captain, and it's pretty vague. She's from PC-348. She is a Melana, claims to be part of the Parantha Clan, which claims a large portion of the northwest continent of that planet."  
  
"A prison planet?"  
  
"Yes, sir, but she's been off-planet for more than a year now, we don't know where."  
  
"And?"  
  
"That's all we have so far. Sir."   
  
"Very well. Set a coarse for her home planet, and contact me when you get any more information."  
  
"Yes, sir." The man barely managed to control his fear as he hurried out of her private quarters.   
  
C'nen Randel slammed her open hand down on the black metal table in front of her. Her room was sparsely furnished, with no furniture other than her bed, a table, and a single chair. Everything was black, including the walls, with only a few white lights illuminating the room. There were no decorations, other than a single poster reading in white block letters, "SERVE THE EMPIRE."   
  
This was the fourth planet in a row where the girl had gotten away just as Randel's forces were closing in. But they were getting closer, and she couldn't evade them forever. Each time she jumped a planet, it took them less and less time to find her again. It wouldn't be long now.   
  
And they were running out of time, too. All of her sources showed that the girl was learning to control her powers. Much longer and she would be unrecoverable - then Randel would have no choice but to eliminate the girl immediately. Now there was still a chance that she could be trained as the next Emperor. It was just a matter of catching her, then turning her over to the Moff for proper training...  
  
  
  
  
  
If anyone is confused and wants to know when the regular characters are going to appear, it's never, or at least not for a long time. This story is only about my characters, and the regulars don't arrive until the very end. 


	2. II

Tiros glanced behind him as Tian and the cat woman entered the cockpit. They had just left hyperspace, and now a large planet, the fifth in a system of eight, took up much of the viewscreen. Most of the planet was a dull yellow-brown color, a lot like the cat woman's skin. The instruments read that there were millions of life-forms on the planet, and very little technology. The one concentration of technology was on the far side of the planet near one of the poles, and that was the only port on the planet.   
  
"Traffic control just called, and we've been given our landing coordinates," he told her, not so much out of courtesy as because he knew she would ask him anyway. "We should be landing within the hour."   
  
"Good."  
  
"What do you plan to do when we land?"   
  
"Kenneth and I will go to my Clan's lands to find my mother's body. He," she nodded her head towards the rear cabin, "has assured me that he can identify almost any toxin ever found. When he identifies the toxin, and I double check it, we will start. If it is a native toxin, I will take you to the planet of your choice and pay you for your services. If it is not, we will be looking for proof of the murder."  
  
Tiros nodded, "Fine. So we just sit here until you get back?"  
  
She nodded, "That is, of course, unless anyone would like to accompany us to the Clan." She paused, then added, "Oh. You have enough supplies to last for several weeks. With a landspeeder, it should take us less than a day to reach my Clan's lands. It might take me a few days to get access to my mother's body. If we do not return within a week, you may assume that something has gone wrong and we will not be returning. In that case, the ship is yours, as well as all the supplies and credits on board. I trust that you will see that everyone has been reimbursed fairly. I also have a message that will automatically be sent out should I not return, so don't be surprised if the ship starts transmitting on it's own." The woman didn't seem at all worried that she had taken such cares in the event of her death. Tiros glanced at his son, who was looking very worried. He's really too young for all of this. I should have turned her down.  
  
"Any questions?" Tiros shook his head.   
  
"I would like to come along," spoke a soft voice from behind the woman.   
  
Melana spun around, her hand raised as if prepared to strike a blow. She slowly lowered her hand, and relaxed. It was a fascinating process to watch, because when the woman relaxed, it was possible to see her muscles relax, one by one, like a wave running over her body. Tiros found himself smiling and forced the expression off his face. He had made it all these years by never getting involved in any of his jobs. Now was not the time to break his habits.   
  
It was the young girl who had snuck up behind the woman. Tiros silently cursed. He should have never allowed her on the ship. Anyone who was that good and moving quietly was not to be trusted. He didn't trust anyone anyway, but especially sneakers.   
  
"You what?"  
  
"I'd like to come along. The more experience I have on different planets, the more valuable I am."  
  
"I do not think you will ever return to this planet."   
  
"But I might meet some of your people somewhere else."  
  
Melana looked as if she would have liked to argue the point, but did not want to insult the girl. "Fine. But you do understand the dangers."  
  
"I do. I'm a survivor."   
  
"Fine."  
  
"I want to come too," Tian said, half-rising out of the co-pilot's seat.   
  
Tiros was shocked. He had raised the boy ever since his hoar mother had arrived at Tiros's door, carrying a baby boy in her arms. She had claimed that Tian was his child, although to this day he had no proof. But that had never mattered to either of them. Tian had always been a good boy, a bit belligerent at times, never really respected anyone, but a decent kid. He had always been reasonable, and usually listened to advice.   
  
Tiros couldn't believe that his son would loose his head so quickly over some girl. He thought he had taught him a little better than that. "Tian," he murmured warningly.   
  
Tian shot him a dark look, then made a small sign with his hand. He clenched his hand in a fist, then pointed upward with his index and middle finger, then flattened his entire hand. Tiros frowned; over time they had developed a number of discreet hand signals, each with a specific meaning. Those signals had come in handy more than once, like with that backstabing Imperial...  
  
But the signal that Tian had just used meant, 'no problems' or, more accurately, 'I know what's going on.' Tiros frowned. He usually trusted his son's judgment, but this time his hormones might have got the best of him. Tian's frown deepened, and he repeated the signal.   
  
Realizing that there was very little he could do to stop Tian, Tiros nodded his agreement. "If it's all right with Melana." He hoped it wouldn't be all right.   
  
Melana frowned, but nodded carefully. "If that's what you want, but I'm warning you now that my planet is a dangerous place. Just because I'll be with you is no guarantee that anyone will get out alive."   
  
Tian swallowed but didn't say anything. "Go put on something that's either tan or brown. You're too easy to see in that. You too." Tian was wearing a white logo T-shirt and loose red-brown pants. The girl was wearing a light blue shirt and black stretch pants. Both of them turned around and left the cockpit.   
  
Fifteen minutes later, Tiros received clearance from traffic control. He got the landing vector programmed into the computer, then sat back to enjoy the ride. The hanger they were given was practically decomposing, cracks in the walls and ceiling, and moss growing all over the floor. As soon as they were settled, Tiros jumped out of the cockpit and ran outside the ship, anxiously looking at the ceiling over the ship, afraid the ceiling would collapse on top of them. By some miracle, there were no major cracks over the ship. Shaking his head over the terrible accommodations, Tiros headed back into the ship.   
  
Tian was standing just inside the door. He had changed into a tan shirt and light brown pants. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Damn hanger's just about to fall down on us. This place can't have seen a repair crew in ten years. They'd better not charge us for staying in this dump."   
  
Tian nodded, but didn't say anything.   
  
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Tiros gestured to Tian's clothes. "I've heard a little about this planet - it's just one big deathtrap."  
  
"I've gotta," Tian glanced behind him. "That girl, Lola?"  
  
"Lotah," Tiros supplied.   
  
"Yeah. Listen, remember how she was wearing that big cloak before? And she said that she was comfortable? I saw her before, when she took off the cloak, and she was drenched in sweat. And just now in the 'pit, did you see her? She looked terrible - like she saw a ghost or something; dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was messed up. I...I just don't trust her."  
  
Tiros also glanced towards the cabin. "Join the crowd. But that's no reason to stick your neck out."  
  
"I don't trust her going along. I didn't believe her when she said why she wanted to come along. I'm going along to make sure she doesn't make any trouble."   
  
"That woman isn't your problem. She isn't your responsibility."  
  
"I'm going." Tiros recognized the stubborn tone in his son's voice from his own past, and recognized a hopeless cause.   
  
"Fine," he did his best not to snap at his son. He heard a step to his right and glanced in that direction. "I'm going out to see if I can find some parts to fix up this ship. If this job's going to be half as tough as she says, I'm not going to take my chances with these shields and armor. Melana gave me some money, so I'm going shopping. This place doesn't have much, but whatever it's got has to be better than what we have now."  
  
"Can I go with you?" spoke a deep voice.   
  
Tiros turned all the way around to face the mercenary, Lorb. "What do you know about ship parts?"  
  
"I've flown a ship or two in my day. I know my way around a ship lot, and I'm very good at getting a good deal on parts." He smiled, and Tiros could very easily imagine how he could get a really good deal on some equipment, towering over someone with all those weapons.   
  
"You can come along, but if you get in any trouble, that's your problem."  
  
"Agreed."   
  
Tiros turned to face his son. "Tian, I..." he trailed off. He couldn't speak in front of this stranger.   
  
Tian smiled, understanding. At least Tiros hoped he understood. "I'll see you when I get back, Dad," he said in an uncharacteristic show of sentiment.   
  
Tiros nodded, and forced himself to turn away and walk out of the hanger with Lorb.   
  
-----------------------------------------   
  
Lotah glanced at herself in the mirror, and was satisfied with the results. She had used one of her hair dyes to change her hair to a tawny brown color, and one of her three pairs of lenses to change her eyes to a yellow-green color. Then, observing that her skin looked weird with the hair and eye colors, she darkened her skin with makeup until it looked fairly normal. She made a mental note to buy some more hair dyes - she had been using them quite often recently.  
  
Stepping back, she looked at her full reflection. She didn't have that many different clothes, so she settled for a tan jumpsuit she had kept from her last job as a crewman on a meat hauler. It was still hot out, so she grabbed the strands of hair that fell around her face and braided them up behind her head. That left her a little more open to inspection than she was comfortable with, but definitely cooler. Someone knocked on the door to the main cabin.   
  
She jumped, then controlled herself. She was getting too tense, it was beginning to look weird, and would draw attraction. "Who is it?"  
  
"It's Tian Une. Melana says that we're leaving in fifteen minutes."  
  
"Thank you. I'll be there." There was the sound of footsteps retreating from the door.   
  
Lotah sat down on one of the bunks and stared at the computer consul on the wall. She needed to check the communications channels, but wasn't sure if she should risk it on this ship. Finally she stood up and walked to the wall, searching for a control panel. She wasn't going to have access to the channels anywhere else for a while now, and she needed to see what the bounty on her was.   
  
There was no panel. She stared at the wall in confusion. There was a screen for communications, but no way to activate it. Lotah sat back down on one of the beds. She had been around and seen all sorts of ships, but she had never seen anything like this. Her eyes fell on a small round black disk above the screen, and she thought of something. The rest of the crew on the last ship had been talking about the vacation they were getting because some new sort of technology was being installed in all of the ships in that fleet. Something about a completely voice-activated communications consul.   
  
She glanced at her chronometer. Ten minutes left. It was worth a try. "Computer," she spoke aloud. "Give me access to the main holo channels."   
  
The screen flickered to life, displaying a menu. "What do you wish to search?" it inquired politely.  
  
"Bounties available on individuals."  
  
"Searching." A few seconds later a list of names appeared on the screen. It was written in Basic, but most of the names had obviously come from planets that didn't speak Basic. All of the names on her list began with the letter 'A,' and all but the last began with 'AAA.' The last began with 'AAB,' and there were almost a hundred names on the screen. It would take her years to get to her own name at this rate, and she only had five minutes left.  
  
"Description of object of bounty."  
  
Lotah glanced around guiltily. It had become almost distasteful for her to say her real name and description, for anyone. "Human, female, approximately 1.6 meters tall, black and red hair, red eyes. Name is Lotah."  
  
"Last name?" the computer inquired.  
  
Lotah paused, wondering whether the officials would have used her former master's last name as her own. "No last name," she finally concluded. She checked her chronometer. Three minutes.   
  
"Searching..." Suddenly a picture of Lotah appeared on the screen. The picture was over a year old, but it was still definitely her, before she ran away, still wearing a slave collar. She winced at the sight. "Computer, delete the picture."  
  
"Cannot comply. Picture is part of the main file. Do you wish to have the picture hidden from you?"  
  
"Yes." The picture disappeared, and she stared at the screen. "Shit!" she exclaimed.   
  
"Searching..." the computer said, and the file disappeared. But it didn't matter, she had already seen the numbers. The Imperial bounty on her had risen five credits, but that wasn't what had upset her. The other bounty, the mystery one, had risen to seven hundred and fifty credits. If it got much bigger, more respectable bounty hunters would be coming after her. What had happened?!  
  
The computer's voice brought her back to reality. The screen was now displaying a variety of pictures, none of which Lotah could identify. "Description of shit desired."  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Lotah turned off the screen and rushed out of the room and down the ramp to the hanger. It was a mess, but she paid more attention to Tian, the scientist, and Melana, who were all staring at her. Following their eyes, she put a hand to her head, and remembered that she had put on all of that makeup. "I thought my hair and eyes might stick out," she muttered, trying to kill the issue at once. She didn't like talking about herself, and this crew was way too smart. And weird. She started to shiver, but stopped herself, with difficulty.   
  
"Let's go." Melana didn't make any more comments.   
  
The cat woman led them out of the back of the hanger, and right out onto a field. Looking all around, Lotah was amazed at the seemingly endless plains. She was used to cities of all different types, but had rarely visited primitive planets in her years of traveling. There was a strange beauty to it. It was so open - there were no walls anywhere, and the sky went on forever. Lotah thought of the endless void of space.   
  
Melana led them around the side of the building, where a landspeeder was parked. "Get in," she said shortly, and jumped from the ground up over the side of the speeder, several feet above the ground.  
  
"Show off," Lotah muttered, and grabbed for the step hanging a few feet below the speeder. It was meant for a taller person, though, so she had to lift her foot almost to her hip in order to stand on the step. Suddenly someone grabbed the material of her suit on her back, and hauled her up into the speeder. She landed with an ungraceful thump on her rear end, and glared at Tian, who was watching her.  
  
"I could have got in," she hissed.   
  
"Shh," Melana muttered. She started up the speeder and started guiding it around the edge of the town. This town was literally a box, with the walls of all of the buildings touching each other to make a long wall, unbroken except for the back doors of the buildings. "Why is the town built like this?" she asked, gesturing to the wall.   
  
Melana glanced towards the wall again. "Shhh. There are warring Clans around here. The wall is to make sure that they keep the wars among themselves, and not bring it into 'civilized society.' It doesn't work, but we don't want to alert the Clans anyway." She gazed across the plains thoughtfully. "We'll be cutting through the city. It's too dangerous and will take too long to go all the way around the city. We're coming up on the main gate now. When we get inside, don't say anything until we leave, and don't look at anyone directly."  
  
Lotah saw the scientist shoot Melana an alarmed glance. Two minutes later they turned through a large hole in the wall onto a busy street. As they passed through, Lotah saw an energy field wink into existence in the hole behind them. Here all of the grass and weeds had been trampled into nonexistence, and a thin layer of brown dust covered everything.   
  
There were hundreds of Melana's people as they drove through the streets, along with a mixture of other races, most of whom were wearing the clothes of traders. Then they rounded a corner and there was a tall black building, with two stormtroopers standing guard at the door. Lotah gasped, and slid down a little in her seat, trying to hide. A few seconds later, she realized that there was no reason for her to hide, and that she looked fairly ridiculous.   
  
As she straightened up, she caught a glimpse of Tian. He, too, had sunk down in his seat and was watching the stormtroopers. When he noticed her staring at him, he turned bright red and sat up.   
  
She didn't have time to puzzle out his actions, because then they entered the main square. Lotah was watching an exhibition of fine fabrics when something else caught her eye. Slaves. A long line of the Cat people, like Melana, were chained in a line together. Lotah stiffened and half-rose out of her seat. A clawed hand landed onto her shoulder. "What are you doing?" Melana hissed in her ear.  
  
Lotah sat back down in her seat, ashamed by her lack of control. "Nothing. I just wasn't expecting to see slaves here," she murmured into her chest, refusing to look up.  
  
"It's a good way to get rid of prisoners at a good price. When you compare that with exiling the prisoner, which is always a death sentence, it is merciful. Now do not speak."  
  
"Merciful..." Lotah muttered, but she raised her eyes to look at the slaves again. A few seconds later they turned at the corner of a brick building and the slave auction was out of view. She settled back in her seat and stared blankly into space.   
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
The landspeeder stopped with a shudder, and Lotah woke. After leaving the village, they had started across the endless plains. She had watched the unchanging scenery for a while, then had drifted off. She glanced at her chronometer, and saw that a few hours had passed. Stretching her arms above her head, she stood up and looked around.   
  
"Finally awake?" the boy was already out of the speeder, checking his blaster and looking around.   
  
She didn't bother to answer him, but put a hand on the side of the speeder and vaulted to the ground. The shock of the ground made a sharp pain shoot up her ankles, but she ignored the pain, and got the satisfaction of seeing the surprise on his face.   
  
Glancing around the speeder, Lotah saw a few small bushes, and one tree with bright red leaves, and the plains. "Why did we stop?" Melana was nowhere in sight, but the scientist answered her as he climbed out of the speeder.  
  
"The...the woman, Melana. She went to check out something, she didn't say what. But she says that we've reached her Clan's lands, and we can't go any further in the speeder. She said not to go anywhere." He tripped on the last step and fell to the ground, landing on his rear. Lotah rolled her eyes, but he didn't seem to notice, scrambling to his feet and staring at the ground. "Amazing foliage," he murmured.  
  
Lotah sighed and leaned against the speeder. Tian, who had been watching them out of the corner of his eye, shoved his blaster into the holster and sat down on the ground. Lotah pulled the knife out of its sheath on her belt and examined the edge. Tian watched her. After a few seconds Lotah shoved the blade back in the sheath. The blade was in perfect condition, the same way it always was. The small plain blade she kept in a sheath at her ankle was also in perfect condition. She didn't bother to check that one, not because she knew it was fine, but because she didn't want the boy to know she had it. He continued to watch her expectantly.   
  
Finally Lotah gave up and sat down on the ground, a few feet from Tian.   
  
"So," he said carefully. "Why did you freak out so much when you saw the slaves?"  
  
Lotah started - she hadn't realized he had noticed that. He was a lot more observant than he looked. She made a mental note - things like that could be important. "I once knew someone who was sold into slavery," she answered cautiously, sticking to the story of the name she was using. She had half a dozen different fake names, some using her real first name, some not, and all with a different story behind them. "He was a friend, accused falsely of theft on a planet with very strict laws. The last I ever saw of him was him being led away in chains by the person who bought him. It's a barbaric idea, and I hate it." Those last words were spoken with a little more passion than Lotah meant to use. "Anyway, whenever I see a slave line, I think of him."  
  
"What was his name?"   
  
"Yenus. Yenus Lanius."  
  
"That's too bad."  
  
Lotah forced herself to be silent. If she said anything more, she would give herself away. After a few seconds it became clear it was up to her to say something. Nervously she shifted position to change the circulation in her legs, and looked for Melana. Where could she be that was taking so long to get back? Lotah always hated these 'heart-to-heart' talks, she was always terrified that she'd forget some detail, or let something slip that would give her away.   
  
"So what's your story?" she finally asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You look almost human, except for those scales and that hair. I've been all over the place, and I've never seen anyone like you. What planet are you from?"  
  
"I'm not from any planet. And there's a good reason why you've never seen anyone like me - I'm a one of a kind," he grinned. "Tiros is my father, and my mother was an alien. For some reason, she happened to be able to reproduce with humans, and I'm the result. Luckily, I look human enough that people assume I'm just a variant on the regular human, so we don't run into any problems. You know, with the Imps, people who hate non-human." Lotah nodded.  
  
"Do those scales have any use?"  
  
"Not really. They're tougher than skin, but the line is so thin that it doesn't make much of a difference. Sometimes I sweat through the spaces between the scales, and they're pretty sharp, but that's about it. My father had a genetic scan done on me when I was a baby, to make sure I didn't have any serious genetic problems that wouldn't turn up until I was older, but there aren't. I'm mostly human." He fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "So how about you?"  
  
"What?" Lotah echoed him.  
  
"You're not exactly ordinary-looking."  
  
"My parents had a funny sense of beauty. They thought I'd look better, or more unique, or something, with crazy colored eyes and hair. That's originally why I learned about makeup, so I'd look more like 'normal' kids." She smiled ruefully, not because of a childhood problem like Tian would think, not a problem dealing with parents, but because of a lost childhood and missing parents.   
  
"Parents can be tough," he smiled sympathetically.  
  
"You seem to be doing pretty well," she pointed out, maybe a little too sharply.   
  
He didn't notice. "Well, you know, my old man's OK..." he seemed evasive, and Lotah wondered what he was hiding. She had been around too many people with too much to hide recently.   
  
Lotah glanced up, and saw something move in the grass. Her hand immediately went to the knife at her belt, although she hid the knife behind her leg, shielding it from whoever was in the grass. It was not hidden from Tian, though. "What's wrong?" he asked, his hand going to his blaster.   
  
"I see something," she murmured, watching the grass carefully. The movement she had seen before was gone, but she remained alert, looking for any sign of life. There was a quick gleam of light against metal in the grass fifty feet from them, then it was gone.   
  
Lotah jumped to her feet, still hiding the knife. Her eyes roamed all over the grass, but she couldn't find the metal again. Now Tian was also on his feet, scanning the grasses in front of them. Lotah was slowly becoming more desperate. She didn't like guessing like this, and whoever it was had moved almost twenty feet in just a few seconds. If they kept moving at this rate, they would be at the speeder in the next second. The scientist was still staring at the plants in front of him, blissfully unaware of the danger bearing down on them.   
  
She had no choice. Lotah closed her eyes for a second and reached out with her mind. There was a brief gleam of light in front of her, and she opened her eyes and lunged toward that spot with her knife. She stopped just short of a mass of hair. "Stand up," she said shortly.   
  
The person stood up, and up, and up. Not until the person raised her head at the last moment did Lotah recognize her. "Melana!" she exclaimed, sheathing her knife.   
  
"That was well done," Melana told her, but the woman was looking around them in all different directions. There were no more movements in the grass, though, and Melana stopped looking around. "How did you know where I was?"  
  
"I have good eyes."  
  
"Good eyes?! Are you sure your parents didn't put mechanical eyes in? I didn't see anything, and I've got nearly perfect vision!" Tian exclaimed.  
  
Lotah shrugged - she didn't like bringing attention to herself. "Where have you been?" she asked pointedly.   
  
"I've been checking our borders. They've changed a little."  
  
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Tian asked when Melana didn't show any signs of elaborating on her comment.  
  
"Bad. It means that things have changed since I was here. The borders, the leaders, and the traps."  
  
"Traps?" the scientist finally stopped looking at plants and glanced at Melana in alarm. "You didn't say anything about traps!"  
  
"You didn't ask, and I need you to come along, anyway. I'll do my best to protect all of you."   
  
"What sort of traps are those?" Tian asked.  
  
"Some simple holes, with collapsing branches covering them. There are several wire-traps, so watch where you step. And I believe that they have set up a few trip-wires that throw poison darts. We protect our borders harshly."  
  
"What have we been driving through?" Lotah asked. "Why didn't we run into any of these traps on the way here?"  
  
"The land belongs to the planetary government, and they do not choose to guard their borders," Melana looked like she couldn't believe the stupidity of the government. "Let's go." She started to lead them through the waist-high grass.   
  
They had barely been walking for ten minutes when Melana threw her arms up in front of the group. "What is it?" Tian asked from the back of the line. Lotah decided that he had a serious problem with patience.   
  
"Look, but don't go in front of me." They all lined up next to Melana and stared at the ground in front of them. The grass looked normal, growing just as high as anywhere else, waving gently in the breeze that blew perpetually across the plains. As she looked, Lotah thought she saw a slight incongruity in the field in front of her. There was a small line, about four inches wide, on the ground where no grass would grow. Following the line with her eyes, Lotah saw that it curved about fifteen feet in front of her.   
  
"I don't see anything," Tian said.   
  
"It's there," Lotah pointed to the line. She was beginning to get a little tired of his impatience. "See? Where the grass doesn't grow." Tian stared at the grass, but obviously didn't see anything.   
  
"Watch." Melana knelt down by the line and poked in the dirt. A few seconds later she pointed to a thick branch lying horizontal on the ground in front of her. Tian had also dropped to his knees and was staring at the branch. Lotah remained standing. Now that she knew what to look for, Lotah didn't need to see the actual trap. She had seen this sort of thing before on other primitive worlds; a hidden pit with spikes at the bottom. This one had the best camouflage she had ever seen, on any world.   
  
Tian whistled as he saw the inside of the pit, but didn't have any comment other than, 'wow.' Melana straightened up and led them around the pit.   
  
"Wait a second," Tian said. "You're going to leave it?"  
  
"It's my land, too, or at least it was. Why should I remove the defenses?"  
  
"Why is it so well hidden? I've seen a few of those, and that's the best one I've ever seen."   
  
"My people are used to such tricks. That sort of trap would only catch a very careless frasel, ah, Cat person. That is just meant to warn people that they have entered our territory. The real traps will start soon. When I say so, you must watch every time you put down your foot until I say it is safe. Am I understood?" They nodded.   
  
They were silent for the next twenty minutes as they waded through the grass. Melana took them on a very indirect route, but Lotah didn't say anything, assuming - hoping, that the Cat woman was leading them past the worst of the dangers.   
  
Lotah strained her eyes to look at the horizon. For the last five minutes she thought she had seen something out there. Now she was almost certain that it wasn't just an illusion or something. During the trip they had passed a number of short, scraggly trees. They seemed to grow in groups of two or three every half-mile or so. She had commented on them earlier, and Melana's only comment was that they had some sort of religious importance.   
  
Now they were approaching another group of trees. Lotah felt a strange tingling running up and down her spine. She shivered, anticipating trouble. It had something to do with those trees. She glanced at Melana, and was relieved to see that the woman was staring at the trees suspiciously. Lotah waited for her to say something in warning, but Melana didn't say anything.   
  
The trees looked just like the others they had passed, but Lotah remained wary. They passed the trees, and nothing happened. Lotah kept glancing back at the trees, almost expecting to see a laser cannon appear.   
  
Suddenly her foot came down on something that gave way, and her entire body shook as the danger feeling hit her. She threw herself backwards, taking Tian with her, and felt something disturb the air in front of her. Then she landed on the ground, and sat, stunned, for a second.   
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" Tian exclaimed, pushing her forward. When she had backed up, she had also shoved him back, and he was sitting behind her on the ground.   
  
"Something..." The danger feeling was still too fresh for Lotah's tastes, and she was out of breath. Examining the ground in front of her, Lotah found a set of five short darts, still quivering, their points driven deep into the earth a little to her right. "What are those?" she asked, her voice shaky.   
  
Melana had frozen in place, and was again searching the plains. When she didn't answer, Lotah cried loudly, almost shouting, "What are you looking for!?" Melana didn't answer, and Lotah swallowed several times, trying to regain control of herself. She had dealt with danger before, she reminded herself. But the danger... She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. There was too much going on here to take the time to examine her strange feelings.   
  
Melana finally noticed her. "Nothing...I just thought I heard something." She dropped to her knees and picked up one of the darts with her extended claws. Holding it a few inches from her nose, she sniffed gently. "It's a good thing you got out of the way in time. Don't touch these with your skin, they're coated in poison. If it got in your bloodstream, you'd be dead within an hour. Even casual touching with the skin is enough to send you into a coma for several weeks. How did you get out of the way in time?" she asked, suddenly watching Lotah with a strange intensity.   
  
"I...I...ah...I...tripped."  
  
"No you didn't," Tian cut in. "You shoved me out of the way. You saved my life." He said that quietly, as if it had just occurred to him how close he had just come to death.   
  
Lotah blushed bright red, and hoped it didn't show through her makeup. "I...I felt the string go under my foot, and I jumped backwards. It was just luck," she finished unconvincingly. Seeing the disbelief on Melana's face, Lotah let herself slump towards the ground in a pretend faint. It was as good a way as any to allay suspicions - no one who was any kind of a warrior fainted at the first sign of danger. Tian caught her, and she stammered, "I...I'm sorry. I just realized..." she struggled to her feet. "I'm all right, really. Let's keep going." Melana continued to watch her, but this time she looked more worried than suspicious.   
  
Lotah didn't let it show on the outside, but inwardly she sighed in relief. This wasn't the first rough trip she had taken and it wouldn't be the last. She just had to be a little more careful from now on.   
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
They avoided the rest of the traps on the way to the village. Melana tried not to let it show, but she was growing more and more anxious about seeing her people again. There had been a big dispute when she left for the Jedi Academy more than a year ago, and she wasn't sure how her return would be viewed, especially after she had sent word that she would not be returning. Very few people left Nalaskya, and fewer still returned, for any reason. Most clansmen did not view 'deserters' well.  
  
Suddenly Kenneth veered off of the narrow beaten path. "What are you doing?" she asked, some of her anxiety showing in the form of a short temper.  
  
"I've never seen vegetation like this," he rasped. Melana could barely hear him.   
  
"Like what?" She suddenly smelled something strange. Reaching out, she snagged one of his arms and hauled him back on the path. "Don't go near that!"   
  
"Near what?" Tian asked.   
  
"That plant," Melana replied, pointing to a small weed with smooth circular leaves and thin hair-like projections on the stem. "It's mikit, and it's one of those native poisons I was talking about. You're lucky you didn't touch it. We use the leaves to make a poison that can be put in food or scattered around a room. If it's cured properly, the merest whiff will knock a person out, and a small amount in the food will kill. The leaves themselves are poison to the touch."  
  
Lotah sounded impressed. "If it's so poisonous, how do you protect yourselves against it?"  
  
"It's very difficult to harvest. The person who wants it has to make a special harvesting device, and gloves to handle it, and it takes several weeks to cure, all of the time being a danger to anyone around it. It killed many of my people when we first arrived, but almost no one uses it any more. Now we just avoid it, and burn any that grows too close to the village. I'm surprised that this one was allowed to grow." She glanced at it one more time before continuing.   
  
It was only a few months old, which probably explained its existence. It had been almost a month since she first received word of her mother's death, and she might have died weeks before that. Since then the Clan would have been occupied with the craziness that always followed the death of a chieftain, with the usual accusation and denials, and then there would have been the competition. The new chieftain would be only a few days in the position, so the lands would naturally be in slightly worse condition than usual. The mikit would probably be cleared out soon.   
  
Melana saw the scout before anyone else, and brought the group to a stop. She wanted to give whomever it was a chance to get a good look at her before she reached the actual village. It greatly lessened the chances of them being shot by accident.   
  
"We'll wait here for ten minutes," she told the others, who immediately dropped to the ground, hiding themselves in the tall grass. Unfortunately, between Tian's and Kenneth's hair, any camouflage the grass might have provided was lost. There just didn't seem to be any logical evolutionary purpose for dark hair.   
  
She stopped that train of thought almost immediately. Master Skywalker had taught her not to think of the universe in such limited terms. After all, there had to be a use for dark hair on some planet, somewhere. But, observing how obvious their hair was against the tan grass, not here. At least Lotah had fixed her hair so that she wasn't a complete giveaway. There was no way she could have hidden those bright pink stripes out here.  
  
"What are we waiting for?" Tian asked in a whisper. Kenneth shot the boy an angry look, startling Melana. Most of the time the scientist was pathetically inept at almost anything having to do with real life, but every now and then he showed surprising knowledge of fighting. Like hiding in the tall grass to avoid being spotted - after his performance by the speeder, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had stayed standing, providing a nice target for anyone watching. And now this instinctive need for silence, although that might just be common sense. Up until now she would have sworn he didn't have any.   
  
She shrugged off her suspicions. The scientist had probably just read a book on fighting at some point. She had a much bigger problem in the girl, who was a lot tougher than she looked. Melana wished that the old man had tried to exert the power he claimed and excluded her from the trip. The girl was dangerous, and Melana wouldn't trust her enough to sleep in the same room as her. It would have made things a lot easier not to have to worry about watching your back all the time. And the trip had barely started!  
  
Without giving her companions any warning, Melana rose slowly to her feet and looked around. The figure in the grass was running in the other direction, towards the village. Melana gauged the distance to the village to be a little less than a kilometer, and then guessed that the runner would make it there several minutes before her group would, probably more at the slow pace they set. She gestured for the others to rise, and led them at a fast walk to the village.  
  
In a few minutes she heard the boy start panting, and realized that she was setting a pace that most straight humans could never hope to match. Quickly slowing down, she heard several sighs of relief from behind her. Why was she in such a rush to get to the village? She had been dreading this reunion for almost a month, why was she so impatient now?  
  
Probably just want to get it out of the way, she decided as the full village came into view. It was part way down a long hill on a small plateau, with the rest of the hill spreading out below it in a large fan. The village itself was a circle of small huts made out of reeds and grass and dirt, with the outer walls and roofs reinforced against the possibility of attack. The inside of the circle contained a large open area, used for dancing, fighting, teaching, cooking, and almost any other occupation in the village. Most recently it had been the sight of the competition, an event symbolized by the withered red flowers still hanging from a few of the houses. There was only one way out of the village, through a hole in the circle of houses, and it was guarded very carefully, both day and night. Most of the houses also had security systems of their own, all hidden from their neighbors.   
  
As they descended the last slope before the village, four warriors surrounded them, a guard or a prison detail, Melana wasn't sure.   
  
They were escorted to the center of the village, where they stopped. Melana shot the nearest guard a piercing look, and was relieved to see him look away. Another warrior, tall even by their standards, with dark brown splotches all over her body emerged from the largest hut. Melana carefully controlled her expression - the last person she had seen emerging from that hut was her mother. She stepped forward to see the person who succeeded her mother as chieftain.   
  
The chief stepped up to the group, and Melana got her first good look at the new chief, and gasped. "Nimra?" she asked incredulously. The face in front of her had been a childhood friend, barely an adult when she left for the Jedi Academy. For her to rise to power so quickly after reaching adulthood was almost unheard of.  
  
"Melana," Nimra's tone was cautious. "I understood that you would not be returning."  
  
"I have come to see my mother's body," Melana kept her voice completely serious, down to business. She had learned something new about friendships at the Academy, but those ideals did not exist here. Two people who were friends for years might be turned against each other in seconds by a Clan political move or by an attack by a rival Clan.   
  
Nimra simply nodded, but Melana noticed her cheek moving in a nervous twitch that she had acquired after a close call with a urynt. It's claws had left a large scar on her cheek, and had given her the habit of touching that cheek whenever she was upset. "We must speak before I can decide whether you will be allowed to see the body."  
  
This time it was Melana who nodded, but inside she felt something give. It was not easy for her to return to this place, and now it was obvious things had happened that had alienated her only friend. "Of course, your companions may not enter my dwelling. They will be escorted to another, where they will wait for the duration of their visit. I will post a guard to make sure that no harm comes to them, on pain of death," she added to an older male who had stepped up beside her. He nodded and bowed, exposing the back of his neck in submission. A recent slave addition from another tribe, Melana thought, averting her eyes as custom dictated.   
  
Suddenly something hard and cold was pushed into her palm. "If you get access to the body," a voice whispered into her ear, "take a sample with this. I can look at it later to determine the toxin that killed her." Melana caught a glimpse of Kenneth as he and the others were led away. His face wore a happy, expectant expression. Lotah was glaring furiously at her, and Tian kept glancing worriedly behind him. Melana breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever had happened between them, Nimra could be trusted to keep her word. Melana need not worry about her companions while they were here.  
  
She followed Nimra into the hut.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
When she entered the hut, it was surprisingly dark. All of the curtains were drawn, and there was only a single light resting on a short wooden table in the center of the main room. As Melana watched, Nimra closed the outside door firmly, then lit up several more lights. Melana noticed her former friend glance nervously towards the door several times. Then Nimra ceased her actions and stared at Melana, who returned the gaze without any sign of emotion.  
  
Suddenly she rushed up at Melana. Melana raised her claws defensively, but it was unnecessary. Nimra had wrapped her arms around Melana's shoulders and was purring happily. "I thought I'd never see you again," she murmured between purrs. Melana returned the embrace awkwardly, she didn't have a lot of experience with them, and felt vulnerable with someone else's arms so close to her throat. Luckily Nimra broke off quickly, again glancing at the door. "Why did you come back?!" she demanded, suddenly angry. "Do you realize how dangerous it is for you to be here?" Melana nodded. "So why did you come?"  
  
"I heard of my mother's death."  
  
Nimra paused, and finally said, "I'm sorry that your mother's end was necessary for my survival." It was as close to showing sympathy for a non-family member that Melana had ever heard any of her people come. Something strange had happened here since she had left, something vital that she was missing.   
  
"What has happened here?" Melana asked. "I encountered very few obstacles on my way here, and yet there was a patch of mikit. You have adopted many customs foreign to our people for generations, and you are the chieftain when there have been none so young for many years. No insult intended."  
  
"None taken. Things have changed much since you left. Have you noticed how few warriors there are?" In fact, Melana hadn't noticed, but she nodded anyway. "The port has been taken over by a group of foreigners called Imperials. They allow more slave trading than ever before, and it has become the main export of our planet, even bigger than the jibb gems. It is such a business that we have had six raids in the last year and two of them weren't even from other tribes - they were space traders. Suddenly everyone was in danger all of the time, from other tribes and spacers, as well as from within the tribe and animals - people became more valuable, and so did cooperation. Before her death, Uthiope was making arrangements to have a temporary alliance with another tribe to protect ourselves against the traders."  
  
"That's impossible. There has never been an alliance between any tribes - never since the planet was first founded. My mother would never have broken custom so."  
  
"She was trying to do just that. You must have had some effect on her, with your peace-talk... is it true that you have given up the life of a warrior?"  
  
"It is."  
  
"How could you do it? You were always one of the best fighters in the entire Clan. In fifty years or less, you might have been chieftain."  
  
"I've seen a different view, and I no longer desire to become chieftain, of this Clan or any other."  
  
Nimra shook her head in disbelief, but didn't comment further. "It really hurt her when you sent word, you know. She followed custom and declared you dead, but she was truly grieving. She even shut herself off for two days."  
  
Melana felt tears coming to her eyes but blinked them away. "How did she die?"  
  
"She was found in here one morning after she failed to answer calls. She was already dead when we found her."  
  
Melana nodded. "May I see the body?"  
  
"Of course, but why?"  
  
Melana held up the small metal devise Kenneth had shoved into her hand at the last second. It was about ten centimeters long, cylindrical, and there were several red buttons sticking out along the side. "I would like to take a reading with this."  
  
"Why?" Nimra's tone was suddenly cautious.   
  
"I do not believe my mother could have been killed by normal means. I wish to prove that she was illegally murdered, and then find the murderer."  
  
Nimra shook her head. "Your mother was good, possibly one of the best, but she wasn't infallible. She probably just let her guard down once. Let it go, and get off this planet."  
  
That reminded Melana of the purpose of their discussion. "So what happened here, exactly?"  
  
"The Imperials came down here, showed a little bit of firepower, and the Trader Board completely capitulated," she made a rude sound. "If they had come to any of the Clans, the response would have been very different. The traders turned over the entire port to the Imperials and accepted the taxes and restrictions that followed. We wouldn't care at all, except that the slave raids are increasing. That's why I have allowed the mikit to grow, in hopes that it would stop some potential slavers before they reach the village. Still we are too close to the port - we may have to move altogether in the next year to survive." She looked very tired - the strain of ruling an endangered people had left its mark. Melana remembered the expression well, she had seen it every day on her mother's face.  
  
"But why did the Imperials come here?"  
  
Nimra shrugged. "There are several rumors circulating. There are two that I believe. One is that they are planning to turn this planet into a slave world, like that of the Wookies. If that is the case, I have to move our people away from here as soon as possible. The other reason is that they were just looking for a planet to work off of, and we just happened to be handy. Also, I think they also want to get a monopoly on the gem trade. Whatever the cause, they show no signs of leaving."  
  
"How did you win the contest?"  
  
Nimra frowned, but answered, "Your mother died at a very bad time. We had just had a raid on the village in which we lost most of the best warriors in our Clan. Many of the remaining warriors were severely injured. Then she died, and the Contest was held. There were only six warriors, including me, that were available to compete."  
  
"Six?" Melana was horrified. At her mother's Contest there had been more than thirty competitors.   
  
Nimra nodded. "So I won, over inexperienced warriors. One of the first things we did was to lead a raid of our own on the port and retrieved eight of our people. The rest had already been sold. Then I started to cultivate the mikit, to protect our borders."  
  
Melana nodded, but she was only half-listening. If there were only six warriors available for the competition, that narrowed the list of people who would have murdered her mother considerably. Unless the poison was slow-acting, in which case the murderer might already be dead. It depended on the poison. "May I see the body now?"  
  
Nimra nodded and pushed aside a curtain separating a room from the rest of the hut. Melana automatically held her breath as she crossed the threshold. Every house had one room devoted to meditation, quiet thought, and when necessary, to mourning. Now several strings of red flowers adorned the walls of the room. In the center of the room was a low table with a body on it. It was a woman, very similar in appearance to Melana except that the woman had a red tint to her hair. She was wearing a red tunic with very little embroidery. A blaster, a knife, and a bow and several arrows lay on the table next to her. Melana didn't remember her mother ever having a blaster - she must have bought it in the last year. If things had changed as much as Nimra said they had, it wasn't surprising that the common rule of traders never to sell firearms to the locals had been broken.  
"I had the body preserved when you sent word of your return," Nimra stated. "You have five minutes. When you leave, she will be burned." Then she disappeared back behind the curtain.   
  
Melana stared for a full minute at what was left of her mother. She tried to repeat the Jedi Code, but the words stuck in her throat. As much as she wanted to, she could not say goodbye to her mother with an oath of peace. It would have been disrespectful to her mother's memory - she had been born, lived, and died a warrior. She had loved fighting, even if it was just for survival. "Good hunting," Melana murmured.   
  
She took the sample that Kenneth needed and left without a backwards glance. 


	3. III

"What is she doing?" Tian asked again, peering out the door again.  
  
Lotah was heartily fed up with Tian's pacing. He had been at it since they had been left in this room almost an hour ago. She closed her eyes again. For her, the last hour had been spent meditating, trying to regain the state of calm readiness that Op had always had. So far it wasn't working. Every time she started to calm down, she lost her concentration and found herself lost in a memory.  
  
Now her mind traveled back to when she first met Op. Her master had put down roots, temporarily, at least, while they conducted some repairs. They had been staying at the local inns for almost a week, and from the way he was talking, her master intended to stay here for at least another month. Strange behavior, but at the time Lotah had been more interested in exploring the city than in dealing with any strange actions by her master. She didn't get a chance to really see most cities, because they only stayed at each for a few days, or a week at the most. At eight years old, she was already fairly independent, and after she cleaned the ship and set up their small room at the inn, she was free to explore.  
  
With her master's words of warning about keeping her nose clean on an Imperial-controlled world still ringing in her ears, Lotah headed out for the marketplace. That was always the most interesting part of any city, no matter what the tourist guides said.   
  
She had barely started looking around when the uneasy feeling hit. It felt like someone had just poured cold water down her back, and she began to shiver uncontrollably. Unconsciously she started back towards the ship and the protection her master could provide. But before she could reach the ship, however, she turned into a dead-end street. Terrified now, she spun around and almost ran into an alien.   
  
Even then Lotah had considered herself well-traveled, but she didn't recognize the alien's species. His/her face seemed to be located in the middle of its body, and there was a large hood over the area where a head should have been. Even as Lotah started to rush past it, the thin lips at its abdomen spoke. "Wait, child." The voice was strong, and sounded female. Ordinarily Lotah wouldn't have stopped for anyone, but there was something unusual here, and a strange feeling came over her, so she stopped, and stared at the alien. It moved up to her, and the body tilted so that the face was staring at her. "It is her," the mouth muttered. The voice had changed, and now sounded distinctly masculine. "Come with me," it instructed, using yet another voice, extending an appendage that didn't appear to have any fingers.   
  
Lotah shied away. "Who are you?" she asked.   
  
"I am your teacher. Come on, I haven't all day."   
  
Even today Lotah didn't know what had possessed her to follow Op that time, but she was glad that she did. Over the next few weeks he/she taught her about a gift that she had, something Op called 'the Force.' It enabled her to move objects with her mind, tell when people were lying, and sometimes she could feel people's thoughts. Those few weeks were some of the happiest days of her life. She would have been happy to stay there forever, with Op and her lessons.   
  
Then, one day, she was walking to Op's house for her daily lessons and there was a disturbance, both physically and in the Force. She ran forward, and there were over twenty stormtroopers raiding Op's house. Only her instructions to avoid the Imps, instructions that had been hammered into her since she was first bought, prevented her from running to try to aid Op. A crowd had gathered around the house, and she squirmed up as far as she could through it to get a better view.   
  
~Run, and do not forget.~ The words appeared in her mind, and she realized that Op was talking to her. For a second she hesitated. ~RUN!~ She turned and ran, first pushing her way through the crowd, and then through the streets. Behind her, three blaster shots rang through the air, which quickly caused the crowd to disperse. Op's presence disappeared from her mind.  
  
As she ran, she felt a foreign presence in her mind. It was searching through her thoughts, and her memories, trying to find her deepest secrets. With frightened strength, she shoved it away.  
  
A gasp startled her out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes, and from the stares of the other two in the room, she realized that the gasp came from her. "What's wrong?" Tian asked.  
  
She quickly shook her head. "Nothing, I was just thinking." Closing her eyes again, she remembered what it was that had scared her. In remembering that touch on her mind, she was able to identify a feeling she had experienced earlier that day.   
  
In the shuttle, as they had traveled through hyperspace, she had felt a touch, the same type that Op, and the other person had used all those years ago. It wasn't the same person as the other time - she would have recognized that touch. This person wasn't searching through her mind, violating her privacy. It was more like whoever it was touched her by accident, then continued on without knowing they had touched her. Almost immediately she dismissed that possibility. Anyone who had the power and control to touch people like that would know exactly who they were touching.   
  
Her initial terror at the touch had frozen her, so that it never occurred to her to try to find the source of the touch. She never could have tried that after the raid of Op's house, but since then her skill had grown considerably, in more than one area. Silently berating herself for loosing her head so easily, she wondered who could have touched her.   
  
It had to be someone on the ship. The touch occurred while they were in hyperspace, and as far as she knew, it was impossible to penetrate the field that hyperspace formed around a vehicle. But who? Trying to solve this riddle, she realized how little she knew about all of her companions. She had a vague suspicion that it would be fairly difficult to find a detailed history of any them. If she touched each of the people separately, she would probably be able to identify whoever it was who touched her. But it also would probably allow whoever it was to identify her as well. She just couldn't take that risk, at least not until the job was done with. As long as they left her alone, she was satisfied to leave things as they were. Whoever it was that had the power was probably hiding from the Imps as well.  
  
"What are they going to do with us?" Tian had paused in his pacing long enough to look through the window again. Lotah knew from experience that this was a pointless effort. All that the window showed was a delightful view of a wooden wall. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to blame Tian for his anxieties. After all, she probably would have been worried, too, if she hadn't known that they were as safe as Melana.  
  
That could have it's own dangers, as well. Every indication showed that the current leader's position was precarious at best. Melana showing up might just tip the balance in the opposition's favor, whoever that was. At which point all of them would be subject to the whims of the new ruler. Lotah vowed not to be sold into slavery again, and checked to see that her blades were still in their sheaths. It was her own fault, she had asked to come along. But she wasn't going to be sold again without a fight. If it came to that - they might just be able to walk out of here when Melana was done. Either way, they couldn't do anything.  
  
But that didn't mean that she couldn't do anything to make Tian shut up. "They're just holding us while Melana meets with the chief. You can't do anything, other than make sure your blaster is working, so sit down, you're driving me nuts."   
  
Lotah froze as she felt the danger-feeling running up and down her back again. This time it wasn't as strong, and she managed to relax in a few seconds, although the danger feeling didn't go away. With some difficulty, she managed to disregard the feeling long enough to nod to Tian, who had finally sat down.   
  
The outer door opened, and Lotah was instantly on her feet, knife in hand. It was only the slave, though, and he put a small basket on the floor and quickly retreated, eye cast on the floor. Lotah averted her own eyes. The danger feeling still hadn't gone away, though, so as Tian reached for the basket, Lotah kicked it away. "Don't touch it," she instructed, "it may be booby-trapped, or poisoned, or something." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the scientist watching her, a curious expression on his face. At her words, the danger feeling went away.  
  
Tian stared suspiciously at the basket, then settled himself on the floor, leaning against a wall. "So..." he started awkwardly. "Ah, why are you on your own?" he made a strange face after he said that, as if he was reconsidering his words. "I mean, your parents, and ah..." he trailed off again, with the same distressed look on his face.  
  
"My mother died when I was a child, and my father died a year ago. I've been on my own since then." It was close enough to a common truth to be believed, after all, many explorers got their start when they were cast out of their homes for some reason. Also, it was close enough her truth for her to remember easily.  
  
"Sorry."   
  
Lotah shrugged, maybe a little too carelessly. "I miss him, but well... life goes on. So what's your father like?"   
  
"I don't know, he's like any other dad, I guess. You know." Lotah nodded, although she didn't. "I mean, I'm grateful that he has taken care of me all these years, that he didn't just drop me off at some orphanage somewhere in his travels. He could of, and I gave him plenty of excuses to do that," he grinned, and Lotah realized that he was joking. "He taught me just about everything I know about fighting and piloting... But I guess I'm kindof ready to be off on my own. You know, hire myself out as an independent, maybe even join up someday."  
  
"Join up?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, the service."  
  
"Which one?" Lotah didn't like the direction things were moving. As far as she was concerned, any government that allowed slavery was bad, and anyone who wanted to support that government was also dangerous. However, the new government, the one that was fighting the Imperials, was a slight improvement over the Imps. The local planetary governments were generally so weak and self-oriented that only local hotshots and second-sons ever joined up.   
  
"The New Republic, of course. You think I'd join the Empire?" there was a hint of deep disgust in his voice.   
  
She shrugged noncommittally. "You don't like the Imperials?" she asked, forcing herself not to call them Imps, and to keep her tone casual.  
  
He became defensive. "It's not that I hate them or anything," he said quickly, too quickly. "It's just that things are easier for everyone under the New Republic. You know, less taxes and military control. That sort of stuff is really important to free traders." He sat down and leaned back against the wall. "So what about you? Ever thought of signing up? Getting involved?"   
  
"Not really. I mean, I try to follow what's going on, which systems have been taken by whom, but that's about it. From what I hear, young women aren't exactly wanted in either government." This wasn't exactly true, but it was as good a fake excuse as any, and most polite people would let it go at that.  
  
Tian didn't. "Are you kidding? The President of the New Republic is a young woman! Leia Organa Solo is famous everywhere, both as a politician and a warrior in the Rebellion! How could you not know that?!"  
  
"She's not exactly a normal case," Lotah pointed out, but she was getting a little excited. The truth was that she kept an eye on the New Republic, and on the President in particular, ever since she had heard that the President's brother was starting some organization that worked with the Force. "She and her brother are both rumored to have some special powers, or something."   
  
Tian dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand. "Maybe her brother - I've heard some stories about that guy! But not her. She's just a great politician - first she united hundreds of planets in the Rebellion, now she's running the entire government! I think those stories about her having weird powers were just made up by some of her opposition to tear her down. Besides, there are a lot of women in the Senate besides her," he finished, bringing the conversation back to the topic they started with.   
  
Lotah shrugged again. "I'm just not really interested in big stuff. I have enough trouble getting enough money together to make it from day to day."  
  
Tian finally dropped the subject. "I guess so. My dad and I have had a couple rough times where we were scraping for money to get a meal or two, but it doesn't happen that often. We're pretty well known, and people have heard of us. Like for this job, a shop owner somewhere told her about us, and she came to find us," he said with some pride.  
  
"So what happens when you go off on your own? You won't have this great reputation anymore."  
  
"I'm not leaving yet. Anyway, that's why I was thinking of joining up. Don't miss any meals in the army." He grinned, and Lotah smiled back. Stop that! she told herself. She had made it this far by never getting involved in any of her jobs; it wasn't worth getting caught for a few smiles! After all, it wasn't like she could ever have a friend.  
  
Why was she having so much trouble convincing herself this time?  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Always before she only had to think about her one-time owner, and her resolve to stay away from everyone who could possibly touch her would strengthen. Only a week after her ownership was transferred from her old master to the new one, Lotah had sworn never to be that woman's slave. She vowed to kill herself rather than to return, and ran, her back still covered in blood from the last beating. After stowing away on two different ships, she had finally found a job, and been moving since.   
  
She forced herself to remain in the present, and pushed away the desire for friendship, or at least companionship, that threatened to overwhelm her. "You think you're good enough to get in?"  
  
He nodded, for once completely serious. "I don't know if I'll be the best, but I'm good now, and with a little more instruction, I'll get better. I'd like to be the best someday, I mean, who wouldn't, but I don't think I'm anywhere near that good yet. I'm no Luke Skywalker or anything."   
  
"You think you can get as good as him?"   
  
"I don't see why not, not if I get the right training, a little bit of luck, and work hard." Lotah saw that Tian hadn't quite passed out of the youthful, optimistic stage. Lotah let the issue go.   
  
"So what about you?" Tian asked, turning his head towards the scientist, who was standing in the far corner, leaning against the wall and looking out the window. "What's your story?"  
  
Lotah started. She had forgotten that the man was even in the room - he had a way of disappearing from the mind. Stupid, very stupid.  
  
"Me?" the man rasped. He didn't seem to be able to speak above a whisper, and even that voice was always scratchy. Lotah wondered what the story behind that was, there were a number of small scars on his throat - some sort of operation that went wrong?   
  
Tian nodded.   
  
"I grew up on Hypew."  
  
"Never heard of it."  
  
"It's a very obscure planet. I went to school to become an expert in alien botany. I was three months away from graduation when there was a revolution in the local government. The new rulers made a lot of changes, the first being the decommission of all institutions funded by the old government. My school was one such. After that I couldn't get any good jobs on research teams, because I didn't have a diploma, and I've never gotten up enough money to go back to school." After this brief recitation, he fell silent again, staring out of the window.   
  
Tian was also quiet, sitting still with his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping, and she could see that one hand was resting in an unnatural position on his blaster, so he had to be thinking about something. What that something was Lotah couldn't guess.   
  
Stretching her legs out in front of her so that she would be more comfortable, Lotah continued to search for that peacefulness that had always seemed natural with Op. How had he done it?  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Tiros looked at the ship's shields systems and wiped his head with a rag. "What do you think?" he asked, gesturing with a broad sweep of hands the computer in front of him. "You wanna try it first?"   
  
"You sure we got everything?" Lorb was next to him, crouched by the control panel of the ship, examining the shields. Tiros was pleased to discover a mechanic in the mercenary hired by Melana. Ordinarily this job would have taken him two days - two full days, but with Lorb's help he had finished it in one day, and the sun was still shining.   
  
"We've already checked it over three times for any flaws. Neither of us found any. Now do you want to start it up, or should I?"  
  
"I'll try." Lorb jumped to his feet with an agility that Tiros envied, remembering days when he could do that, and more. The younger man hit a few buttons on the panel, and in the back of the ship, the shield generator hummed. Lorb was examining the dials in front of him. "Everything's in the green," he reported.   
  
"Run it up to full power, slowly," Tiros instructed.   
  
"Are you sure? It might burn out."  
  
"Better here than in the middle of a fight. Besides, how else are we going to know whether those boosters we installed were worth the money we paid for them?"  
  
Lorb carefully slid his fingers up the controls, and the humming sound got louder, finally leveling off at about twice the amplitude that it started out. Tiros looked at the panels over Lorb's shoulder. The power output was continuing to rise, and there was no visible reaction, either from the temperature gauges or from the device itself.   
  
Finally Lorb turned around, a triumphant grin on his face. "We've got almost 115% of the previous power levels in the shields."  
  
"Yes!" Tiros slammed his hand down on the chair in front of him. "Good job! Now shut it down, help me shove this thing back into the panel, and I'll treat you to a drink!"   
  
As it happened, the proposed drink didn't actually occur until the next day. When they tried to push the shield generator control back into it's housing, they discovered that one of the boosters was sticking out just a centimeter too far, and it wouldn't fit. After a spirited debate on the best course of action, Lorb headed out to buy a decent blowtorch to cut a bigger hole, while Tiros stayed and tried to get the piece in place by way of flipping it over. Fifteen minutes later, he had dropped the whole mess on his foot, but hadn't fit it into the hole. He gave up and watched the local holo broadcasts until Lorb returned.  
  
Then they ran into the problem of figuring out exactly where they could cut without disrupting any more of the ship's systems. It had been designed with efficiency in mind, so there wasn't a centimeter under the panel that wasn't covered with wires or circuits or something. After another debate and a lot of poking around, asking, "What's *this* one connected to?", they managed to shove aside some wires, enough to make the cut.   
  
Then the control had to be maneuvered so that the booster matched up with the hole. This took considerably longer than it might have, because Tiros was taking considerable care to see that his toes were safe, more care than he actually took with the device. By the time the piece was back inside the main panel, and the hole was sealed, both men were exhausted. They took their time cleaning up, and it was dark by the time they finished.   
  
They had just headed out to find a good bar when the others returned. Any thought  
of getting out that night disappeared when Melana informed them that they didn't want to be out in the dark at all, and they definitely didn't want to go looking for a bar in the dark, not if they wanted to live until the morning. So they went to bed early, after exchanging stories of the day's trials with the other group.   
  
Tiros lay awake for a while, feigning sleep. After almost an hour, he felt a touch on his shoulder. Rising silently, he followed his son out of the sleeping quarters and into the cockpit. Only the panels themselves were lit up, and he could barely make out Tian's face. "Find out anything?" he whispered.  
  
Tian shook his head. "Lotah's an orphan - both parents dead. Common enough nowadays. The scientist was ruined when a revolution disrupted his school plans. The Cat woman spent several hours talking to the chief, I don't know why."   
  
Tiros nodded, not missing the fact that Tian referred to the girl by her name, but simply identified the other two. "Lorb seems to be a decent fellow. He certainly knows his way around a ship."   
  
They were both silent for a minute. "We'll stay on with them, for now," Tiros said. "I want a full report next week though." Tian nodded, and Tiros stood and walked back to the room, not needing to tell Tian to wait for several minutes before coming to the room.   
  
As he lay back down and prepared to really go to sleep, a small flash of light across the room caught his eye. Shifting slightly, he saw the light from the corridor was reflecting off they open eyes of the girl. She had seen him sneak back into the room in the middle of the night. He shifted position again, never taking his eyes off of her. A few minutes later, before Tian came back in, her eyes closed. Tiros lay awake until his son rejoined him. There was really nothing to worry about, he told himself. It wasn't as if they were plotting to kill everyone on board - they were just having some private time together. He fell asleep.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
The next morning everyone assembled early for breakfast, and discovered that there was very little for them to do. Kenneth was performing tests on the sample obtained by Melana, but it would be several hours until the results came back. After over an hour of Tiros trying, ineffectually, to explain the changes he and Lorb had made to the ship to Melana and Lotah, they decided to split up. Lotah wanted to look around the port, such as it was, and Tiros claimed he still owed Lorb a beer. Tian decided to join them, and it was decided. Before they all left, though, Melana gave each of them a personal communicator, so that she could contact them in an emergency. Then they were on their way.   
  
While she was waiting for Kenneth to finish with his tests, Melana did her regular exercise routine, then entered a light trance to think. For whatever reason, there had been slight stirrings in the Force ever since she arrived on her home planet. She didn't remember ever having the sensations she was experiencing now, but that wasn't particularly surprising. Before her time at the Academy, she had never felt the Force, so the stirrings might have been happening for years without her knowing. That was the simplest explanation, but it didn't cover the issue of what was causing the stirrings.   
  
It could be some natural phenomenon connected with the planet - Master Skywalker had spoken of certain planets, or stars, that prohibited use of the Force - this might be such an occurrence, except in reverse. It could be that she was simply becoming more aware of the Force, and it responded. As much as she would have liked that answer, she thought it unlikely that she would have such a breakthrough and not realize it. It could be something within her own people - there were beings that were naturally more in tune, or less in tune, with the Force than most. That also didn't seem likely, though. It could be another student of the Force, but that was nearly impossible - the Jedi had been exterminated, and any student of the Force would have had to go through the Academy to learn their skills. Any of those students would have recognized her, either personally or through the Force. Out of all of these possibilities, the first was the most likely solution.   
  
Still she wasn't satisfied, and promised herself that she'd examine the aspects of the ripple more carefully later. There was something she was missing, something nagging at her conscious thoughts but never making it there. Later she would figure out what that something was. Now she went in search of Kenneth, who was in the main room of the ship, where there were seats along the wall and a table in one corner.   
  
He was hunched over the device. It was plugged into another, larger device that looked like a thin screen with a small outlet sticking out of the side for the smaller piece. A series of numbers and letters were running across the screen, none of which made any sense to Melana. "Anything yet?"   
  
"I've ruled out normal body breakdown and induced comas."  
  
Melana tried not to let her disappointment show. "That's all?"  
  
"So far. Most of the time already passed has been spent waiting as the computer analyzed the tissue. Now that that has been done, the rest should proceed faster. I should have a complete analysis for you within the hour."   
  
Melana thanked him, and walked back to her room. She wasn't in the mood to try meditating again, and she was done exercising. What was taking the scientist so long?! Her frustration was making her forget all that she had striven for as an apprentice Jedi. Taking a few deep breaths, she told herself that he was doing his best, and the only result of her getting angry would be the probable destruction of several of her personal items. She forced herself to relax, and walked to the bedroom. "Computer, on," she said as she entered the room.   
  
The screen flickered and came to life. It was showing a picture of... "What is this?!" she demanded to the computer.   
  
"Shit."  
  
"I know that! What's it doing on the screen?"   
  
"The last item searched for was 'shit.' No further detail was given."  
  
Melana sighed. Master Skywalker had sold her this ship, practically for free, because it had some strange equipment, and a personality in the main computer. The voice-activated screen was one of the strange pieces of equipment, but she hadn't met the personality in the computer, yet. Maybe this was an extension of the main computer. "Give me a direct link to the main computer."  
  
The screen flickered, and a long line of numbers appeared on the screen. Superimposed on the numbers was the vague outline of a face. "Where is Luke Skywalker?" the words scrolled across the bottom of the screen.   
  
"He sold the ship to me. You are the personality in the main computer?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Can you talk?"  
  
"Yes." An even female voice said over the speakers. For some reason, Melana thought she detected a slight change in the tone from before.  
  
"Do you have a name?"  
  
"Luke always called me Cahi."   
  
"Cahi?"  
  
"Computer And Human Interaction. I was a special project."   
  
"I see. I am Melana, of the Parantha Clan. I am on a quest to find my mother's murderer. Do you know what planet we are on?"   
  
"We are on planet PC-348, a former prison colony, now an independent planet."  
  
"Where did you come from?"  
  
"I do not understand."   
  
"I was born, droids are built, some species replicate asexually, how did you come into being?"  
  
"I do not remember."  
  
"What is the first thing you remember?"  
  
"Artoo-Deetoo. He was talking to me."  
  
"But before that? You didn't come into existence when Artoo started talking to you."  
  
"I do not remember."  
  
Melana gave up on that topic. After all, she didn't remember the moment that she had been conceived, why should she expect more of a computer? "What was just displayed on the main screen?"  
  
"Shit." The face flickered for a second, as if Cahi was laughing to herself...himself...itself.   
  
Melana realized why Master Skywalker might have trouble selling the ship on a normal market. Any serious trader wouldn't tolerate having a sentient being in the main computer, much less a strange one like this. Neither would anyone want to buy a ship with the main computer missing. "Cahi, how do you perceive your own age?"  
  
The face form flickered again. "Please repeat the question."  
  
"How old do you think you are, in human terms? A child? An elderly person? Middle aged?"  
  
"Human terms do not apply to me." But the face flickered again, and Melana was catching on to what those flickers meant. They were to Cahi what facial expressions were to a human. If one knew what the cause of the flicker meant, it was fairly easy to guess what they meant.  
  
"Make an attempt. Are you old?"  
  
"I am 50 standard years old."  
  
"Fifty?! I thought your first memory was of Artoo?"  
  
"You asked me what the first thing I remembered was. I have memories before I met Artoo, but none of them fall into the realm of things. They were...nebulous."  
  
Melana was about to launch into a lengthy explanation about what she had meant when she realized that Cahi had avoided her question. "You still haven't answered me. How old do you think you are?"  
  
The face flickered. "I believe I am what you would consider a child."  
  
"How so?   
  
"On several occasions, either Master Skywalker or Artoo have informed me that my opinions seem immature, and my conclusions are ill-informed. After some studies, I have discovered that such behavior is most abundant in human children between the ages of 4 and 6."  
  
"Great," Melana muttered under her breath. "Do you have temper tantrums?"   
  
"No. I told you before that human terms do not apply to me - I was simply making an analogy."  
  
"Understood. What I meant when I asked about the..." she paused as the screen flickered again, "...the substance on the screen, was that I wanted to know why it was there."  
  
"Files indicate someone asked for a search on that subject."  
  
"Why would anyone search that?" Melana murmured, not actually directing her comment at anyone. Cahi heard her, anyway.  
  
"I may have a probable cause."  
  
"Please continue."  
  
"The program that I run which allows human speech to be understood and translated into readable data for the communications link is very experimental, and literal. A person in the room might have asked for a search on another topic, then muttered..." the screen flickered, "...that word, and the computer couldn't differentiate between the two commands."  
  
Melana nodded, finding that she liked Cahi, no matter what she/he/it was. "But who instigated the link in the first place?"  
  
"I do not know. I wasn't paying attention at the time. If you wish, I will monitor all other incoming and outgoing communications from now on, and tell you of them."  
  
"Please do that." Melana hated to spy on her companions, but she wasn't foolish enough to believe that they completely trustworthy, either. Glancing at her watch, she decided to check up on Kenneth again. "I have to go now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Cahi."  
  
"I believe I liked meeting you as well, Miss Melana of the Parantha Clan."  
  
"You can just call me Melana."  
  
"Oh. Melana."  
  
She nodded and turned away from the screen, but just as she reached the door, she thought of something. "Cahi?"   
  
The screen had darkened, but now the face appeared again, this time without the lines of numbers. "Yes, Melana?" It seemed that Cahi liked using her name, now that permission had been given.   
  
"Do you have a preference whether I think of you as male, female, or neither?"  
  
The screen flickered. "I have not thought about that yet." Letters reading, "Thinking. . ." appeared on the screen. After a second the letters disappeared and the face reappeared. "I believe that I am female."  
  
"You are?"  
  
"I am what I perceive I am, so I am female."  
  
"Fine." Again Melana turned to leave.   
  
"Melana?" Cahi asked. Melana paused.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"So long as I am designated as female, may I search for a new face?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Thank you. You'll come talk to me, soon?"   
  
"I will."  
  
"Promise?"   
  
"I promise." Melana found herself getting angry. "You doubt my word?"  
  
"No. I'm really sorry. I didn't want to make you mad." The face disappeared again, and Melana found herself pondering the implications of a computer with a personality and vanity.   
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Kenneth had indeed finished, and Melana listened carefully as he explained. There was a poison, and it was not local. The toxin came from a plant native to a primitive planet beyond even the Outer Rim, but it's lethal nature had caused it to be transplanted on different planets all around the galaxy, most of the time illegally. The plant had no smell, and when the leaves were dried and ground up, the resulting powder was tasteless and deadly. Less than a teaspoon of the substance was needed, and that amount was usually fatal within a day. "Quite impressive. Whoever did this had connections off-planet, and I mean high-up connections. This was a brilliant job," Kenneth commented, and Melana found staring at him in horror - was this the sort of thing Kenneth enjoyed?  
  
"What's it called?" she asked, to divert his attention from the brilliance of the poisoners.   
  
"Well, it has many names, but among humanoids it is usually called id."  
  
"Among humanoids? What other names does it have?"  
  
Kenneth hit a few keys on the data pad he always carried around. A screen full of strange symbols appeared. "This is it's name, written in the language of the first scientists who discovered it. They were of an unusual species, scholars and explorers. The discovery was made several centuries ago."  
  
"Which one?" There were more than a hundred symbols, and the arrows at the bottom of the screen indicated that there were even more.  
  
"All of them."  
  
"All of them?! Just for one thing?"  
  
Kenneth smiled, for the first time she could remember, and answered, "They were not laconic. Here..." he hit a few more keys, "is the equivalent, written in Basic." Melana stared in horror at the screen. There were several hundred letters all stuck together in one long string of nonsense syllables. "I understand that a professor of some sort once tried to make a dictionary of their language, and went mad," his tone expressed disapproval. "The dictionary never was finished."  
  
"And the scientists? I've never heard of any species that spoke like this." While it was true that Melana was not the galaxy's most traveled resident, she had been around a little, and was just curious about any culture so different from her own.   
  
Kenneth smiled again, and Melana found herself liking him less each time. He had a twisted smile, as if the only thing he enjoyed was other people's pain. "They're extinct. No one knows why, they just don't exist anymore. Rumor has it that they talked themselves to death." His grin widened, but Melana didn't smile. Seeing her expression, he stopped smiling and looked back at screen. "However, I suggest you go to the local med station, and get my findings double-checked." His tone had changed, all hints of his former joking were gone, and he was back to business. That was just fine with her.  
  
"I'll go right away. Where's the sample?" He disconnected the silver tube from the bigger machine and handed it to her. "Wait here. Once I get these findings checked, I'll come back, and I want a list of places where this drug could have been obtained." He nodded as she left the room.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
The closest medical facility was only a ten-minute walk from the hanger, and Melana jogged it. Four minutes later she stepped through the doors of the facility and marched straight up to the front desk. "I would like to have this analyzed, for any toxins in the blood," she said, putting the silver tube on the desk. The entire facility was done in white and black, and spotless. There was a large reception area, and a white desk in the center of the room. Long white benches lined the walls, but they were unoccupied.   
  
The fat, balding human who sat behind the desk stared at the tube without moving. "Method of payment?" he asked, bored.  
  
Melana was angered at his rudeness, but reminded herself that this was now an Imperial facility; the last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself. "I've got credits."  
  
"Two hundred."  
  
"Two hundred?!" she exclaimed, outraged. Fifty credits would have been more than fair, and a hundred was expected. Two hundred was obscene.   
  
The man eyed her appraisingly. "It's only one-fifty if you come home with me."  
  
Before she realized what she was doing, Melana pulled out a knife. "I'll give you one-twenty-five. If you have any problems with that, please let me know," she growled.   
  
He stared at the knife, then at her. "Damn locals," he muttered, and picked up the tube. He pushed it into a shallow drawer, which he then closed. There was the sound of rushing air. "It'll take a few minutes, and you don't get either the sample or the results back until you pay."  
  
Melana took out the credits and dropped them on the desk, and stomped to one of the benches. Sitting, she realized how badly she had handled that situation. Jedi were supposed to preserve peace, and she had just pulled a knife on an unarmed man. Probably not unarmed, she corrected herself, but the principal was the same. She hadn't used the Dark Side of the Force, but she might as well have. She had to get herself under control!  
  
A few minutes later the man gestured for her to approach the desk. She did so, expecting to get the results of the tests. She was surprised when the man gestured towards a door behind the desk. "What's going on?" she asked.   
  
"Boss wants to talk to you privately."  
  
"Why? I have no business with him."  
  
"How should I know? Maybe he got a good look at you in the security cams. Get going."  
  
Melana resisted the urge to throttle the man, took a deep breath, and stepped through the doorway. The door slid in place behind her.   
  
The inner room looked a lot like the outer one, with the exception of the benches, which were missing. The room was a bleak white, and so was the desk, the chair behind it, and the two chairs in front of it. There was a full human sitting at the desk, a young male, with light hair and an even lighter complexion. He was wearing a black uniform, a black Imperial uniform, and stood out shockingly in the white room, which Melana realized that was meant to intimidate the people who visited. It was working - she kept thinking about what they would do to her if they found out that she was a Jedi in training.  
  
"Where are the results of the tests?" she asked right away. All of her Jedi senses were indicating severe danger, although she couldn't find any source of danger with her regular senses.   
  
"Please, sit down. I just wanted to discuss a minor medical issue with you." He smiled as he gestured to one of the chairs. Melana sat in the other, and his smile faltered a little.  
  
"I know very little of such things. I am getting the results for an associate."  
  
"Well, you must know more about this than I do." He glanced down at his desk and rearranged some papers. "I see something here called, well, it's unusual. Perhaps you could tell me more about that substance; where you got it, for instance."  
  
"I know very little about the drug, and where I got it is personal."  
  
"You don't seem to understand. You haven't paid the full price yet."  
  
"What?! I paid!"  
  
"Again, you don't understand. That was the up-front charge, but usually when I do work for someone, they owe me a favor. Now, this presents me a problem in this case, since you will not be returning. So I offer you a deal - information for information. I ask you again - where did you get that substance?"  
  
Melana frowned, there was something wrong here. From what she had heard of the Empire, this wasn't the way they worked. Generally they demanded information with threats of violence to back them up. This man was also threatening her, but in a roundabout way, taking his time. Maybe Imperial procedure had changed in the last few years, but not this much. And her Jedi senses were still warning her of danger.   
  
"My mother was killed," she finally said unwillingly. "I wanted to know how."  
  
He nodded slowly, glanced at his papers again, and stood up. "An understandable sentiment. Now that you know, what do you plan to do?"  
  
"I'm not sure. The information?"  
  
"Just a moment. Do you know how the substance that killed her was obtained?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you think that it was obtained illegally by someone in your tribe?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, if someone has such good off-world connections, not channeled through the government, that is certainly a concern of mine."  
  
"It's possible. The information."  
  
"I told you, information for information. Now, who is the current leader of your tribe?"  
  
"My tribe?"  
  
"Who is the current chieftain of the Parantha tribe?"  
  
What was he talking about? she thought. How would he know about that... Her thought trailed off as something occurred to her. He knew my tribe, he's stalling me! She stood up quickly, shoving the chair over. "Why are you stalling me?!" she demanded, automatically placing one hand on her blaster.   
  
He drew a blaster and pointed it at her. "Don't touch that. Hands where I can see them," he instructed. She slowly raised her hands above her head, but at the same time she noted that the man was sweating. And he was the one with the blaster. "I don't... You knew... How did you know?" he asked.  
  
"You named my tribe. I never told you. What do you want?"  
  
"I have orders to hold you here until the transport ship comes. It's still two hours away, in hyperspace." He was practically babbling. His eyes darted around the room, and Melana wondered how he had managed to control his fear this long. "Sit there," he said, gesturing to the second chair. The gesture brought the blaster a few inches from Melana's hand. Hoping that he would make the gesture again, Melana didn't move.   
  
She was disappointed, as he stepped back behind his desk. "Sit!" he repeated, gesturing again towards the chair. Melana very carefully sat down on the edge of the chair. Rummaging through his desk, the man finally pulled out a pair of metal restraints. Wiping his forehead with the back of his arm, he narrowly missed hitting himself with the blaster. He stepped back in front of the desk, still holding the blaster and restraints.   
  
Clapping one on her right hand, he stood on the left side of the chair and instructed her to put her hands behind her back. Then he leaned over beside her to fasten the other restraint. That was the break she was looking for. With one smooth motion, she brought her left arm up into his stomach, punching him as hard as she could. The effect was more than satisfactory - he immediately collapsed to the floor. Immediately she jumped to her feet and was out the door in three steps. The man only got off one shot with the blaster, which didn't even come close.   
  
Running by the startled receptionist, she hit a switch on her comm., which immediately began to transmit the emergency beacon. Hopefully everyone would get the signal and report to the ship. Melana kept running. She turned a corner, and almost ran over Lotah. "What happened? I just got your message!"  
  
"I went to the med center to verify some findings, and the head tried to rob me, literally. There's going to be a not-so-pleasant group here in less than an hour, all set to tear the ship apart. Where is everyone?"  
  
"Probably heading for the ship. I'll meet you there." Lotah turned and ran back the way she had come. By the time Melana thought to stop her, she was gone.   
  
For a moment, she hesitated. Melana didn't want to leave the girl behind, but if they didn't get off the planet now, they weren't getting off at all. Deciding to trust that the girl would be back in just a few minutes, Melana ran all the way back to the ship.   
  
Kenneth was there, of course, and Tiros and Lorb had already arrived. A few minutes later, Tian arrived. "What happened?" he asked, and Melana gave him the same story she had given Lotah, who still hadn't arrived.  
  
"How long until they arrive?"  
  
"About a half-hour. How soon can the ship be ready to take off?"  
  
"We can be ready in fifteen minutes. But Lotah's not here," he said, looking around with a worried expression on his face.   
  
"She'll be here," Melana answered, and Tian ran inside the ship, shouting to his father. But even as Melana spoke confidently, she walked to the door and peered cautiously outside. Where could the girl have gone?  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry about the whole - hidden Jedi teacher thing - I know it's cliche, but I had to have her learn somewhere. Next section will be up whenever I get around to posting it. 


	4. IV

Ten minutes later, the ship's engines were humming, and Tian emerged from the ship. "We're almost ready. Where's Lotah?" His anxiety was showing clearly in his face, and Melana stopped pacing long enough to thank her lucky stars that she hadn't been born a male. Tian had barely known the girl for a week, and already he was a lost cause.   
  
He walked to the door and opened it slowly, sneaking glances in either direction before sticking his head out. At least he retained that much sense. After a second he let the door close and looked at Melana, then at the ship. Glancing at his personal chronometer, he said, "The ship should be ready in a minute or two. Where is she?"  
  
"I saw her on my way here. She knows to be back here." But she hadn't come back yet. What could be important enough to risk being left behind? Melana had no intention of stranding the girl, no matter how strange or secretive she was at times, here on an Imperial-controlled world where slavery was now the major industry. "We'll wait ten minutes. If she's not here by then, we leave."  
  
Nodding uneasily, Tian resumed his post by the door. The next few minutes seemed to drag by as they passed in complete silence, except for the rumbling of the ships engines. Tiros came back out at one point to report that the ship was ready; then he went back inside. Melana glanced at her chronometer several times, willing the girl to appear. Maybe if she reached out with the Force she could figure out, at least, where the girl was.   
  
"Melana!" Tian shouted, and dashed out the door. Melana hurried to the door, to see Tian assisting Lotah down the dusty street and into the hanger. Lotah could barely stand on her own - she was leaning heavily on Tian's shoulder, and the right sleeve of her jumpsuit was torn wide open. A trickle of blood stained the material at her right shoulder. As Tian helped her into the ship, Melana heard shouts. They were far away now, but growing closer very quickly.   
  
With a muffled curse, she let the outer door slam shut and ran to the ship. The ram started to rise as soon as she stepped onto it, and she had to hurry to avoid being caught in the gears. Lotah was already seated in the main room with Kenneth and Lorb. Melana temporarily ignored them and ran at top speed to the cockpit.   
  
Father and son were already lifting off. Melana looked up and saw with some alarm that the doors to the hanger were closing on them. "Hang on," Tian muttered, his hands flying across the controls. The ship increased its speed, and they cleared the doors with just seconds to spare. Melana thought that she could hear the solid doors banging together behind them.   
  
The comm. system came alive, with voices demanding in several different languages that they turn around and wait for clearance from the control tower before launching. Tiros ignored the chatter for several minutes, then stopped his work and deliberately took a second to shut off the noise. Tian also paused, and the two exchanged a glance. Then, to Melana's surprise, they both grinned at each other. The exchange happened so quickly she didn't have a chance to comment on it before they were flying out of the atmosphere.   
  
Tiros accessed the navigation computer. "Where are we going?" he asked over his shoulder.   
  
Melana froze. She had no idea where they should go next - everything was happening so fast, she hadn't begun to assimilate anything she had learned on the planet. "Anywhere that's not here!" she finally said, and saw the father and son exchange another glance. "I'll give you a new course as soon as we're safe."  
  
"Yes, sir, ah, mam," Tiros said, sounding as if he regretted agreeing to work for her. "Just give me a few seconds to get the coordinates..."  
  
An explosion rocked the ship. "What happened?!" Melana asked, hanging on for dear life to the back of Tian's chair. Nothing in her few previous trips in space had prepared her for this!   
  
"We're under attack, but the shields held, this time," Tian said, spinning in his seat to look at a panel to one side. "We've got 3... 4... 5 bogies! What did you do to piss them off? Never mind," he said as he turned back to the controls. "I'm taking evasive action!"   
  
"I need fifteen seconds!" his father said.   
  
Tian nodded, distracted with keeping the ship in one piece long enough to use the hyperdrive. The five attack vessels were coming in from all different directions, trying to cut off any possible escape route. There was one directly in front of them, and the one on the port side fired a laser at them, but Tian did something that sent the ship spinning away from the lasers. The ship broke off it's attack as it flew by, but Tian didn't stop the ship. Melana was beginning to get dizzy, despite the artificial gravity on the ship. "Can't we stop spinning?" she asked, trying to keep her breakfast in her stomach.   
  
"Throws off their targeting systems so they can't get a lock on us. Keeps them stuck using lasers," he explained. "Of course, we can't fight back at all in a roll like this, but we don't need to fight, we just need a few seconds." He said all of this while guiding the ship skillfully through the crossing lines of fire caused by the other ships. He was aiming for a hole in the other ships' net, and Melana belatedly realized it was the space that the first ship had occupied. Another one shot by, and Melana caught a glimpse of something that looked suspiciously like a TIE fighter.   
  
"And I've got the coordinates," Tiros announced. He placed his hands on the main hyperdrive control, and slowly slid the handle forward. There was a flash of light, then the scenery gave way to the peaceful lines of hyperspace. Melana breathed a sigh of relief. She had heard that these two were some of the best out for hire(on the right side of the law), but hadn't believed it until now.   
  
Tiros and Tian were both grinning now - Tiros had put both of his feet on the counsel, and Tian was sprawled across two chairs sideways. They were the perfect picture of know-everything males.   
  
"Where exactly are we going?" she asked, as much to get rid of that picture as to find out.   
  
"We're going to an uninhabited system with no habitable planets for any species. It'll only be a few minutes. Then you can give us our real objective, right?" Tiros lifted one eyebrow. It was clear he knew exactly how out of her league she was, but was not mentioning it right now, for whatever reasons. She nodded.   
  
Then she remembered, "Lotah!"   
  
Hurrying back into the main room in the ship, she saw that Lorb was treating the cut on Lotah's arm, and Kenneth was sifting through a pile of papers. Every few seconds he murmured, "Fascinating, just fascinating."   
  
"Just where were you?!" Melana asked angrily. That girl had risked all their lives! Melana should have left her behind on the planet!  
  
"I was..." Lotah winced as Lorb tied a bandage tightly around her arm. "...getting that." She gestured to Kenneth.   
  
"What?"  
  
"The lab reports. She got the lab reports for me," Kenneth said, glancing up.   
  
"What!" Melana took three big strides and reached the table where Kenneth was working. Sweeping up the papers in one hand, she scanned them. The lists of words and numbers reminded her strongly of the lists she had seen on Kenneth's screen earlier that day, and made just about as much sense. But at the top of the page were several listed items, and one of them was 'id.' This was definitely her report.   
  
"How'd you get it?"   
  
Lotah glanced at the floor, as if ashamed. "I've been around, and people don't always treat you fairly, especially on certain planets. I have certain skills necessary to survive on those planets." Now she looked Melana straight in the eye, "I'm not proud of some of the things I've done, but it is in the past. You already paid for those, so they were yours. I just retrieved your property." She was deadly serious, and Melana wondered just how traveled she was. Petty theft wasn't usually taught on pleasure yachts. Unless that was why she had been working on the cruiser...  
  
"And that?" she pointed to Lotah's arm.  
  
Lotah grimaced and rubbed her arm. "Couple of stormtroopers didn't want me taking it. Lucky for me they have such lousy aim." She managed a weak smile, then yawned hugely.   
  
"She should be resting," Lorb said, sounding a lot like a fussy parent, an odd thought, looking at the young black mercenary. "She took a rough hit."  
  
Lotah looked surprised, although about what Melana couldn't imagine. "Go rest," she instructed. "I want everyone healthy when we hit the next port." Even if you are a thief, she added mentally. Lotah obeyed, heading for her bunk, and Melana breathed a sigh of relief and began searching the navigational charts. Where in the galaxy were they going to go now?  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Lotah slept very deeply that day, and didn't dream at all, which was unusual for her. When she first woke, she thought that she heard a muted conversation right next to her, but when she opened her eyes, Melana was the only one in the room. She must have imagined it.   
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
Lotah sat up and bit back a cry of pain. Her arm had gotten very stiff while she slept, but at least it wasn't bleeding. Lorb really knew what he was doing. The rest of her seemed all right, although she could have done with a few more years of sleep. That didn't really matter, though, so she said, "I'm fine. Just a little stiff." She blinked her eyes several times, trying to clear them. Why were they so blurry? Then she remembered, she had never taken out the lenses from yesterday, or the day before. "How much time has passed?"  
  
"Only eight hours. You heal quickly. Lorb said that you were very lucky that you made it back here at all." Melana's tone was very suspicious, although she remained civil.  
  
Lotah chose to ignore both the comment and the tone. Actually, now that she was awake, she was feeling pretty good. It had been a while since she had been able to get a good rest like that, and for one of the first times since she had run, she didn't feel tired after getting injured. Standing up, she leaned over and pulled her bag out of the compartment on the floor, and pulled out the lens-case. "Where are we going?" she asked.   
  
"We're headed for Triad. It's a decent-sized port, not too far from the Core Worlds." Lotah took out her lenses and dropped them in the cleaning-case. Now they would be ready next time she needed them. She sprayed a little bit of nullifier on the hair dye, which had already started to fade. That done, she examined the shoulder of her suit.   
  
"What's there?"  
  
"Supplies. We'll dock there, pick up a few things, and decide where to go next."  
  
That means she doesn't know where we're going next. Lotah gave up on the suit. It was a lost cause. She would have to throw it out and buy a new one. Maybe she'd have some time at Triad to restock her supply of clothes and disguises.   
  
Something crinkled in the front breast pocket, and Lotah tapped the paper inside. She still had to decide what to do with it, but not right now. Maybe later, when she was alone.  
  
"Did Kenneth find out anything from that report?" Lotah regretted the question as soon as she saw the look on Melana's face. She looked as if she was trying very hard to control anger over something. What did I do? Lotah wondered.   
  
"He is now completely certain that my mother was poisoned with that toxin, id." The news didn't relieve the anger on her face.  
  
"What's wrong?" Lotah asked, giving in to her curiosity. And, she reasoned, she didn't need her boss mad at her for some reason she didn't know.  
  
"You stole that file."  
  
"It was yours, wasn't it?" Lotah felt herself turn pale, but hopefully Melana would assume that it was because of the wound. She had been so certain this was the right file... if she had risked herself for the wrong stuff, and stolen in the process...  
  
"Yes, those are the reports I paid for. It is the manner in which you acquired them that bothers me."  
  
"What?" Now Lotah was confused. It wasn't really theft, not when the property was already hers. The theft might have brought unwanted attention to their ship from the Imps. She thought about the piece of paper in her pocket. Melana definitely didn't need Imperial attention.   
  
"You got into an Imperial facility, not a military one, but still an Imperial facility, stole some papers from the desk of the director of that facility, and got back out alive. These are not usually talents taught on board a pleasure cruiser. Where did you learn to do such things, and why, exactly, were you on that last ship?" she paused, then added, "I won't have any criminals in my crew." Her tan eyes were narrowed aggressively, her entire body tense, like before a fight. Lotah had no doubt of Melana's ability to kill someone, and didn't want to be that person. She fell back to her second story.   
  
"Please," she held up her hands. "I'm sorry, I lied to you before." She managed to put a hint of desperation and tears in her voice. "I...I never worked on any pleasure cruise. I've been on the streets ever since my father died and his ship was seized. I worked on a couple of haulers, but then I ran out of money and food, and I had to get some... I stole it. I had to, I didn't have a choice. Then the local authorities found out, so I stowed away on another ship, and that's how it started. I just wanted to get some honest work from you, and I didn't think that you'd hire me if I didn't seem to have good credentials, and if you knew I was wanted for petty theft. I'm sorry." She looked down at her hands. I'm young, and desperate. I didn't have a choice at the time. I'm young, and desperate... she chanted to herself over and over again, trying to convince both herself and Melana.   
  
"You lied to me before, how do I know you're not lying again?"   
  
Lotah didn't look up. "Check the nets for Imperial bounties. I've got a small one, nothing big. I stole some food on three different planets, and I stowed away on four ships." This was a calculated risk, and could get her in a lot of trouble, but no more than Melana thinking that she was a lying theif.  
  
"Computer," Melana said formally. "I want to search the nets." Lotah held her breath, this was the risky part, depending on how the Cat Woman queried the computer. "Search Imperial bounties for Lotah Herischka..." she glanced at Lotah. "Is that your real name?" Lotah shook, doing her best to look miserable. "What's your name?"   
  
Lotah thought fast. "Lotah Warring. But Warring wouldn't be listed. I've been using fake names to escape the Imps." Stupid, stupid! She thought. A scared child wouldn't call a powerful authority group by such a rude name.  
  
"Search Imperial bounties for Lotah."  
  
The word SEARCHING appeared on the screen. A couple seconds later, the Imperial bounty came up. There was no picture with this file, but the physical description provided was enough to convince Melana. She became silent for a minute, then, to Lotah's surprised, bowed deeply. "I apologize, and beg your forgiveness. I meant no offense in questioning your motives."   
  
Lotah stood still for a few seconds, then answered, "It's all right."  
  
Melana straightened, but the intense look didn't leave her face, and she made no move to leave. That was when Lotah noticed how tense the woman was, like she was preparing to fight. She thought back to a job, back before her master died. They had been playing taxi, taking some heir to a planetary fortune from one of his planets to another. He had been really stuffy, and took every little comment as a deadly insult to both himself and everything he held dear.   
  
Carefully getting to her feet, Lotah bowed back. "I accept your apology, and you have my forgiveness. Let us not mention the matter again," she said formally.   
  
It must have been the right answer, because Melana relaxed, almost cracking a smile. "Where did you learn proper custom?"  
  
"I've been around," Lotah answered with a shrug.   
  
Melana nodded, and reached in a small bag hung from her waist. "Use this at Triad." She tossed a roll of credits on the bed next to Lotah, who did her best not to ogle at the amount of money. "Get yourself some clothes, and buy everyone else some disguises. Make it varied, I don't know what, that's your job. All you think we need. Keep the rest as your first paycheck." Lotah managed to nod. With this she could get everything that they needed and more, and still have a decent sum for herself!   
  
Melana left the room, and Lotah picked up the roll of credits. There were more than a thousand there! She paused to wonder where a native of a primitive planet had gotten that much money, then decided that she didn't care. "Computer, expected time to arrival."   
  
"One hour, seven minutes, thirty seconds, 17 nanoseconds..."  
  
"That's enough." Lotah cut the voice off. She rolled her eyes - this program was nice, but a little too literal for her tastes. "Shit..." she muttered as she stripped off her wrecked suit, and smiled.   
  
She paused when she came to the piece of paper. After this discussion, she had less of an idea of what to do with it than before. It could wait till later. She shoved it into the bottom of her bag, and started sorting through the items inside. A footstep startled her, and she looked up. Tian was standing in the door, staring at her, his eyes almost popping out of his head.  
  
That was when she realized that she was standing there in nothing but her underwear and bra, and knife, of course. "Get out!" she shouted, reaching for an item at random from the bag. She was preoccupied, and the large shirt jumped from the bag to her hand. She did her best to cover herself without actually putting the shirt on. Tian still hadn't moved.   
  
"Get out," she said, dropping her voice and adding a hint of warning to it. He blinked, hesitated, and she gave a little push with her mind, starting him out the door. Not realizing what had shoved him, Tian stepped back out the door. It closed in front of him. "Computer!" Lotah snapped. "Lock the door!"   
  
"Door locked," the computer reported, and she shoved the shirt back into the bag. She raised her hand to rub her aching head, and the muscles of her injured shoulder screamed in protest. Muttering curses to herself about all males, she continued sifting through her bag. After a little thought, she pulled out the only skirt she owned. It was mid-calf length, made out of a very light pink flowered material. She hated the color and pattern, but it was comfortable, and she could run in it if she had to. Pulling out her light purple shirt, she put both on, and stood up. She looked down at herself, and was pleased both with the way the shirt covered the bandage on her shoulder, and that she looked exactly like a tourist. At least, that's what the merchants would think, which was fine with her. Merchants on most port planets tended to underestimate tourists.   
  
Glancing at the clock, she settled down on her bunk to sort through her things and see what she really needed.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
"Captain, she's jumped system again."  
  
"When?" Randel fought to control her voice.   
  
"Less than an hour before we arrived."  
  
"What happened this time?" Randel was beginning to see a pattern. Every time that she got close, some idiot planetside spooked the girl and she ran before they could clamp down on her. That was what you got for cutting the training budget and lowering recruit standards. Randel sighed. There was really nothing she could do other than send yet another complaint into headquarters. Not that it would do any good, but it would be something to show to her superiors to show that she had done everything she could to catch this girl. Of course they weren't the types to accept any sort of excuse for failure, even legitimate ones, but it might buy her another few months in which to track the girl down.   
  
"One of her companions requested information, and there's a warrant out for her. The local lieutenant tried to arrest the woman, without success. Then they ran."  
  
"There's a warrant out for the other one? What's it for?"  
  
"I'm not sure, sir. I'll find out right away." He started typing away at his computer, seemingly oblivious to her stare. She wasn't sure if she liked this communication tech more than his predecessor. The old one used to give her the satisfaction of acting properly scared all the time, but it sometimes affected his performance. This one was so mechanical, so efficient, but she was beginning to wonder if he had a mind at all. He never spoke unless spoken to, and never offered his opinion. Stupidity was even less tolerable than fear.   
  
Randel supposed she would have to bring the old one back. After he had botched a simple message because his hands were shaking after seeing her navigation officer shot for guiding them to the wrong station, she had stripped him of his rank and sent him back to the regular barracks, where he was no doubt getting a good education. The grunts tended to dislike anyone who had ever been an officer. Maybe by now he had gotten over that silly squeamishness. She would make the proper arrangements later.   
  
"I have it, Captain."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"The message is twofold. The first part is that the woman, Melana, is wanted for extermination by the Empire. She had a black mark."  
  
"Really? How did she earn one living on a backwater planet?"  
  
"She has spent the last year at the Jedi Training Academy under Luke Skywalker."  
  
Randel didn't bother to hide her surprise at that last remark. She never would have guessed that the Cat woman was a Jedi. They were turning up more and more often, trying to seek out and capture agents of the Empire. That this one just happened to hire the girl was too much of a coincidence. She was here to recruit the girl to go back to that blasted Academy. But why hadn't they already headed for Yavin IV?  
  
She realized that there were some flaws in her thinking. The girl had been hiding her powers for years now, how would the Jedi find out about her? And why would this woman be sent? It seemed more likely that it was just coincidence. But what bad luck, especially if they found out about each other! "And the second piece of information?"  
  
"We have an agent on board that vessel."  
  
"What?" Randel couldn't have been more surprised if she was told that the Emperor was alive again, in his rightful place at Coruscant.   
  
"Agent 2342-A9806. He's an assassin, on the trail of the woman."  
  
"Can we contact him?"  
  
"He's deep undercover. The only contact headquarters has with him are reports he sends, coded, at public links." He stopped talking, overlooking the obvious question.  
  
"He's an assassin? The woman is still alive. Why?"  
  
"The report doesn't say." Now he seemed almost bored.  
"Are you sure?" She was even more irritated when he had to look back at the screen to reassure himself - he ought to know. "There's nothing?"  
  
"Well, there is an oblique reference to some other motive. I guess I could try to figure out what it is, but I don't think..."  
  
"Exactly." Enough was enough! She hit a button on the chair's armrest, instantly giving herself communication with the guards outside. "Get Communications Officer Bailey back up here!"  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Tian glanced at the retail clothing store across the street. Lotah was in there, supposedly buying clothing for everyone. He had been tailing her all morning, but so far she had done nothing at all unusual, other than getting deals practically unheard of at several stores. Now he was supposed to meet his father at a local bar, but he was waiting just a few minutes more, in hopes that he would see something interesting. Nothing happened.  
  
The front of the store was one big window(shatterproof and probably blasterproof too), allowing potential customers to see the merchandise without bothering themselves to go inside. It also provided Tian with an excellent vantage point, to see absolutely nothing. Checking his chronometer, he realized that he had waited as long as he could. Any longer and he would miss his father entirely; as it was he would probably be late.   
  
Rushing into the bar, he was both relieved and annoyed to find that his father wasn't there yet. He ordered a glass of ale, and sat down on one of the tall bar stools. Glad that he had this extra time in which to organize his thoughts, Tian stared into the bottom of his cup, trying to decide what to tell his father.   
  
When he walked in on Lotah, the first thing he noticed was her body. But then she reached into the bag, and one of the shirts *jumped* into her hand. He pretended not to notice, and left the room very quickly. Lotah didn't know that he had seen, she probably thought that he was just ogling her body... although she did have a really nice body, really different than those dancers at Uiya's bar, kind of pretty and tough at the same time... Anyway, she was underestimating him, just the way everyone else did, just because he was a kid. And he was older than her!   
  
He brought his mind back to the issue at hand. There were only two options that he could think of; the first was that she had some sort of special robotic implants - there were a few people, not many, that were allergic to bacta, and they usually had all sorts of cyborg parts. He doubted that was the case, though, because earlier Lorb had fixed up her arm with an antibiotic, and most of those had some traces of bacta in them, and she hadn't reacted, so she wasn't allergic to bacta. It could be that she just had implants, but he had never seen anything to support that. Most implants left some sort of mark on the body that showed they were there - a metal plate, or a scar, and she had neither. The second option was that she wasn't human. There were aliens who could create magnetic fields, survive in outer space, or do all sorts of odd tricks, why not ones that could move things without touching them? But that brought up another question - what kind of alien could she be, and why would she be hiding it?   
  
Tiros sat down next to him, startling him out of his thoughts. "How you doing?" he asked.  
  
"All right. You?"  
  
Tiros glanced around uneasily. "Too many damn Imps around for my liking." He took a long drink out of the glass in front of him.   
  
Tian took a quick sip, but his mind was elsewhere. "So? Are we going to stay on the job?"  
  
His father glanced at him curiously. "You're a little tense today. Anything you want to talk about?"  
  
Tian hesitated, then gave his head a brief shake.   
  
"I figure unless that woman gets in too deep with the Imps, we'll stay on. I don't know where she got all the money, but she sure pays well."  
  
"I know where." Seeing his father's surprised look, he added, "I did a little research on the flight over here. Turns out that Melana's planet has this type of gem, unique to that planet. They're called jibbs, and they come from the fossilized remains of a certain native animal. Right now they are very rare, and therefore very valuable. She probably sold some of those, and is using the money to pay us."  
  
"That's a lot of good information. Good job." Tian tried not to be annoyed at how quickly his father dismissed his findings, with no more success than when he tried not to be annoyed when people treated him like a child. He hadn't missed his father's surprised look when he explained. The older man couldn't believe that his 'little boy' had become independent and was completely capable of taking care of himself.   
  
"Anything else you want to mention? You look like you have something on your mind."  
  
"It's about Lotah. You know she saved my life back on Melana's planet." At his father's uneasy nod, he continued, "I saw something today. I accidentally walked in on her when she was changing today..."   
  
Tiros shook his head with a frown. "Now, you know our rules about getting involved with clients..."  
  
"Tiros! Listen to me! She yelled at me to get out, and then a shirt from her bag *jumped* to her hands!"  
  
His father's frown deepened. "Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm sure. I thought she might have implants, or be an alien. I mean, what else could it be?"  
  
Tiros seemed lost in thought. "I've heard stories... no, that's impossible, they were all killed by the Emperor."   
  
"Tiros!"  
  
"I'll find out what I can," he answered, just like Tian was incapable of finding out anything by himself, completely ignoring the fact that Tian had figured this all out on his own! "For now we'll stay on, though."   
  
When he left the bar almost an hour later, Tian was still fuming over his father's continuing belittling of his accomplishments. Maybe after this mess of a job was sorted out he really would go sign up for the New Republic forces. That would show Tiros who was independent!  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"Cahi?" Melana asked awkwardly. It was difficult to address a being who existed throughout the entire ship, so she tried to limit her interactions with Cahi to the screen in the bunk.   
  
A strange face appeared on the screen. It was a young girl, ten or twelve years old, with long brown hair and dark brown eyes. There was a mature look about her, out of place on one so young. "Do you like my new face?" the girl asked, wearing an excited expression.   
  
Melana was busy trying to place where she had seen that face before. After the first shock of seeing a human face, she found a certain familiarity with it. "Where did you get it?" she asked.  
  
"I found it on the web."   
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"That's Leia, when she was young."  
  
"Leia Organa Solo? President of the New Republic?"  
  
"Yup." President Solo's face beamed at Melana.  
  
"You can't use that face!" Melana exclaimed.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Someone's already using it! Pick someone who's dead!"  
  
"Oh..." The picture fuzzed, then blanked out entirely. A few seconds later it was replaced with another picture, another young girl, this one a blond. She had very long hair that was twisted into many long strings, and large green eyes. She was wearing a light green shirt and gray slacks. Then the girl came to life, blinking those huge eyes at Melana. "Is this face all right?"   
  
"Who is it?" Melana asked, trying to be patient. She had never been very good at dealing with children.  
  
"Her name was Cally. She lived on a planet far from here for 13 years before she died of a genetic disease." The girl on the screen examined her hand. "She couldn't digest food properly." Melana realized, looking at that hand, that the girl was very thin, practically emaciated. The clothes were very carefully cut to disguise that fact, but it still was disconcerting.   
  
"Can you make yourself look a little bit healthier? You don't have any digestive problems."  
  
"Actually I do," the speaker said, but the girl changed subtly, filling out slightly, so that she went from being a skinny little girl to a quite attractive child. "Is that OK?"  
  
"That's fine. What do you mean you have digestive problems? You don't eat."  
  
"Exactly," the girl said. "I don't have a digestive track at all. I'd say that qualifies as a problem." She giggled, and Melana actually smiled, although not at the joke. Cahi, whatever she was, was very likable.   
  
"That sounds reasonable," Melana decided not to say what a stupid joke she thought it was. "Did you hear me talking with Lotah before?"  
  
"Yup. I hear everything in this ship. I see everything, too."  
  
"You didn't see whoever accessed the net before," Melana reminded her. After her comment, the image looked so downcast that Melana added, "But I'm sure you'll see whoever accesses the net the next time, now that you're watching." She couldn't believe she was temporizing to a talking computer.   
  
Cahi gave a little smile. "I'll find out who it was," she promised.   
  
Melana examined the earnest look on the face of the image on the screen. "I believe you will," she answered seriously. "But right now I need your opinion on something. Do you think that Lotah was telling the truth?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About being only a petty thief."  
  
"Oh." The image flickered for a second, then clarified. "I think she was telling the truth about *that*."   
  
Melana didn't miss the slight accent on the last word. "What was she lying about?"   
  
"I've been searching the nets. There is no one named Lotah Warring anywhere in the files, and there is a family named Warring, but they're Sullustian. I don't think that's her family."  
  
"She lied again," Melana said, not surprised. And *that* surprised her.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cahi, if you were on the run from Imperials, and several planetary governments, would you ever tell anyone your real name?"   
  
The girl looked thoughtful. "But you wouldn't give her to the Imperials. Luke told me. They don't like you, either. Why would she lie to you?"  
  
"She doesn't know that I wouldn't turn her in. And you are not to tell her about Master Skywalker, the Academy, or anything about your history. In fact, don't tell anyone. Is that understood?"   
  
"I won't tell."  
  
"And don't tell Lotah that I know about her name. I'll tell her later."  
  
"I..." Suddenly Cahi broke off. Melana looked up at the screen, which had gone black.   
  
"What was that?" asked a voice from behind her. Melana turned, and saw a wide-eyed Lorb standing behind her. He was covered in weapons, as usual, but the open expression of awe was new. "I saw a girl, on the screen, talking..." he looked confused. "Was that a communications link?"   
  
Melana grasped at the last comment. "Yes! That was a link!"  
  
But he was already shaking his head. "No, that can't be. You specifically asked to be docked in a shielded hanger. No communications in or out. Besides, the ship's shut down. Who was that?"  
  
Melana sighed. It wasn't as if it was a dangerous secret any way. "That was Cahi."  
  
"Cahi?"  
  
"Computer and human interaction. Cahi, come out," she instructed the screen.   
  
The picture of the girl slowly appeared on the screen. Cahi glanced, or made the girl look like she was glancing - Melana was having a hard time differentiating between the two - at Lorb. "That's Lorb, right?" she asked quietly.   
  
"Lorb, this is Cahi. She is an independent entity that lives in the main computer of the ship. I found out about her when I purchased the ship."   
  
"An independent entity? Is she a robot, or an alien, or what?"  
  
Melana, who had no idea, looked at Cahi. "Lu... my former owner told me that I was a person, a personality for the computer that somehow gained sentience."  
  
"You live in the computer?"  
  
"I don't live, I'm not alive. And I'm not in the computer, I am the computer."  
  
"So who am I looking at? If you truly were the ship's computer, then you wouldn't be limited to one screen."  
  
"I'm not," Cahi said, and exploded. Or at least that's what it looked like. Melana was temporarily dismayed until she reminded herself that the picture was just an image to represent Cahi, not the being herself. "I can be anywhere..." came her voice from the cockpit, "or everywhere..." her voice echoed all over the ship, "at any time." The image of the girl reappeared on the screen.  
  
Lorb smiled. "Amazing," he murmured. "You say you're the main computer? Do you have access to the rest of the ship's systems?" Cahi nodded proudly. "Can you affect any of those systems?"   
  
"I...I don't know... I guess I could try it!" Cahi finished, sounding excited. "Do you think I could try flying the ship sometime?"  
  
"Wait a minute," Melana cut in. "No experimenting with my ship, at least not yet," she added, seeing the crestfallen expression on Cahi's face. It suddenly occurred to her that Cahi was the real owner of the ship, and could take the ship by force at any time she wanted. Just as well that she was a child. "Lorb, before you two talk, you should understand that Cahi is still a child, so be careful what you say."  
  
"Be careful about what?!" Cahi demanded. "I know all about adult stuff! I've read every book on the net, and I know all sorts of swear words! Listen," she declared, and proceeded to spout every curse word Melana had ever heard, and quite a few that she hadn't. After a minute, Lorb was grinning broadly and Melana's patience was wearing thin.   
  
As she left the room in disgust, she heard Lorb trying to calm Cahi down. Just as long as she was Melana was left alone, she really didn't care what he told Cahi. That last comment had just popped out by accident - she had fallen into the Clan habits of excluding children from important decisions. But Cahi, although definitely childlike in some ways, was not to be protected from the world. Maybe Lorb would know how to deal with her.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Two days later, Melana was getting frustrated. They had been sitting around, doing nothing but spending money for both days, and she was no closer to deciding where to go next. Not that money was a problem, she thought, shooting a secretive glance at the safe where she stored her collection of gems. So far she had only sold three of them, and there was still money left over after buying this ship, getting supplies, and hiring the crew. It was amazing how much money people would pay for the remains of animals. They were pretty, though, she reflected, remembering how she used to play with them as a child. Kids never understood the value of anything.   
  
None of which brought her any closer to finding her mother's killer. Now that her own planet was closed to her as a place to search, she had decided to search for the source of the id. Easier said than done. She thought it would be a simple matter of looking up the planet and flying there. When she mentioned that idea to Kenneth, he immediately informed her that it wouldn't work.   
  
"But I thought you were familiar with that planet!" she exclaimed.  
  
"I am, as much as anyone can be. The planet's sun went nova several hundred years ago."  
  
"Then where was the poison obtained?"  
  
"Scientists managed to predict the occurrence, and transplanted as many of native species as possible to other worlds. The plant that produces id is one of them."  
  
Melana was beginning to see where this discussion was going. "And the location of the planet where that plant was moved is secret, right?"  
  
"Known only to a very tight group of poisoners. Very exclusive," he had added.  
  
So that left her with no access to the scene of the crime, no way to find the source of the id, and no other leads. She wracked her head for two days, then called a meeting. There was very little that she disliked as much as admitting to weakness, but finding her mother's killer was more important. So promptly at 800 hours on the third day, they all gathered in the main room of the ship.   
  
"So, where are we headed next?" Tian asked impudently, because he obviously knew that she didn't know where they were going. Melana felt the huntlust come on, and wondered just how much she needed his services.  
  
"I do not know," she said between clenched teeth. "Here is what we know so far. Id is a very quick killer, so the people who could have killed my mother are limited. There were only six warriors that would have profited by her death. Nimra gave me all of those names. Originally I planned to search for clues on Nalaskya, either for the identity of the killer, or for the off-world contact that supplied the id. Now that avenue of approach is blocked for us. I thought to go to the source of id, and follow the trail back to Nalaskya, but Kenneth tells me that the location of the source is a carefully hidden secret. I admit that I am at a loss as for what to do next." She ground out the last few words, then waited impatiently in the silence that followed.   
  
The silence lasted for several minutes, and it was Lotah who finally broke it. That surprised Melana - the girl had kept a fairly low profile before now, a fact that made sense now that she knew her history. To live like that for years... Melana would have lost herself in enemy territory on her home planet before hiding like that for so long.  
"What if we traced the id back to the source, then traced the source to the killer?"  
  
"Sounds good, but how are we going to trace the id?" Tiros's voice was skeptical at best. He seemed more hostile towards her than before.   
  
"Well, whoever killed her mother had an off-world contact. Why don't we go to a similar planet, and make an off-world contact of our own?"   
  
Everyone was speechless for a second, then Tiros asked, "And how do you propose that we make a contact like that? I don't suppose that they run ads in the nets."  
  
"I can find them."  
  
"You?" Kenneth asked, sounding surprised. Melana wondered at his fascination with death and the underworld. "How would you know how to find them?"  
  
"I've had a number of jobs, not all of them pleasant. As a child I ran errands for my...father. One of them was delivering money for one of his clients. I was the only one they would trust. I learned a lot on that trip. I can find them," she repeated.   
  
"It is worth a try, as long as no one has any objections," Melana said, standing up. "Do you have any ideas for planets to try?"  
  
Lotah closed her eyes for a second, then answered, "I guess Vangran, then maybe Desrii, and Bropna."   
  
"Plot a course for Vangran," Melana instructed Tiros, then said to Lotah, "I'd like to speak with you in my quarters, for a moment. Now." She made it clear that it was an order, not an invitation.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Lotah seated herself gingerly on the floor in Melana's 'room.' Melana herself was seated on the lone cushion, leaving Lotah in the awkward position of having to choose between remaining standing, where her employer would have to look up at her, and sitting on the metal floor, which would be both uncomfortable for her and force her to look up at Melana. With a sigh she chose the latter.   
  
"What was it that you wished to speak to me about?"  
  
"A matter that has come to my attention since we last spoke, Lotah Warring. The funny thing is that you don't look like a Sullustian, but they are the only ones to have the name Warring."  
  
Lotah felt her heart slow for a moment, and the world seemed to dim. "How did you find out?"  
  
"A routine check of the nets."  
  
Lotah was lost - no one had ever taken the time to check her stories so thoroughly. She didn't know what to say next - there were no names she could use that couldn't be checked. "I...ah...I mean..."  
  
Melana held up her hands to forestall any comment. "I have considered what you have told me, and I don't want to know your true name. I have decided that your reasons for hiding your identity, whatever they may be, are your own business. Until and unless you give me reason to believe otherwise, I will assume that you will be honest with me, and will do your best to complete your job. Do you understand?"   
  
Lotah nodded slowly, unable to believe what was happening. She was being given a second chance - something that hadn't happened in a long time, since before she could remember. Her master hadn't been cruel, but he was strict, and stupid mistakes weren't tolerated. That woman, her new master, hadn't tolerated mistakes of any kind, insubordination (real or imagined) or anything else. The last beating had been for spilling a cup of coffee. Most of the people she worked for in the last year didn't care at all about her, so long as she did her job. It was almost like what she'd imagined family being like, where she could make a mistake without forfeiting her next meal, or getting a beating... Caring is dangerous, she reminded herself.   
  
"And I thank you for your idea on where to go next."  
  
"You're welcome." Lotah was still numb with shock. Melana stood up, and Lotah followed, but at the edge of the curtain she paused, a hand in the pocket of her new jumpsuit. It was a light blue color, with darker blue cuffs and plenty of room to move around. "Wait!"  
  
Melana paused. "What?"  
  
Lotah fumbled for the slip of paper. "You...you were honest with me, and deserve no less from me. When I grabbed the papers, this was resting on the top of the pile. It's from Imperial Command, section 3825 - D, whatever that is," she said, handing the paper over. "You have a black mark."  
  
"A black mark?"   
  
"It's a death sentence. Any Imp that finds you is automatically ordered to kill you. They used to be reserved for major criminals, mass murderers and that sort, but since the Rebellion, they're also given to anyone who ever worked for the New Republic." She let the last comment hang in the air, but Melana didn't respond, simply folding the paper up and pushing it into a hidden pocket in her suit.   
  
"Thank you. You have not informed anyone else?"  
  
Lotah shook her head. "As you said, sometimes there are things that need to be kept private."  
  
"I thank you for that." Melana reached out with one of those clawed hands of hers, and squeezed Lotah's shoulder in what was probably meant to be a gesture of friendship.  
  
Fire shot up her arm and Lotah gasped, sagging back against the wall for a second as the pain hit her. Melana was instantly at her side, supporting her and moving her to the cushion. "I apologize. How is your injury?"  
  
"Getting better," Lotah managed to gasp. Her arm was healing well, but the pain didn't seem to have decreased at all.   
  
"Take off your shirt," Melana suddenly directed.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Take off your shirt, let me see the injury."  
  
Lotah suddenly wanted to be out of there. "I'm all right," she demurred, "Lorb has already seen it - he says it's healing fine."  
  
"Take off your shirt." Melana's tone could not be denied. "My people have a certain talent for healing people." The explanation, along with the tone of voice, was too much for Lotah. Too much of her life had been spent obeying similar directives for her to ignore it now. She obediently stripped to the waist, revealing her undershirt and the bandage that covered her arm.   
  
Melana deftly stripped off the layers of the bandage, becoming more careful as she finally reached the blood-soaked layers near her skin. Lotah did her best to remain calm, not looking at the injury, refusing to admit how much it hurt. Looking at injuries always made them seem worse than they actually were, and this one *felt* bad enough already.  
  
Settling herself on the floor next to Lotah, Melana was still taller than the girl by several inches. She didn't make a move to touch the actual injury, instead holding her hands a few inches away from the surface of the skin. Although her brow was furrowed in concentration, there was no visible action.   
  
Then the Force flowed through Lotah, lifting her up. The intensity of it was amazing, she could feel the energy inside every cell in her body. The flow narrowed, focusing on her shoulder, and the pain lessened. Now Lotah did look at her arm, and was amazed to see the redness and swelling that accompanied any injury begin to lessen, and the wound began to look less ragged.   
  
The flow cut off then, and Melana blinked several times, like she was coming out of one of Lotah's trances. "Did that help?" she asked, sounding tired.  
  
Lotah found herself nodding wildly before she controlled herself. Somehow managing to keep her voice calm, she answered, "It feels better. What did you do?"  
  
Now Melana tried to divert attention away from herself. "It's just a talent my people have."   
  
"Oh. Well, thank you." Lotah wound the bandages back around her shoulder and stood up, feeling somewhat unsteady on her feet.   
  
"You're welcome."   
  
Neither said any more. Lotah walked slowly out of the bay, and back to the main bunk, where she sat down on her bed and tried to sort out her feelings. There was now no doubt that Melana was the other person who could use the Force on this ship. She was the one who had touched Lotah earlier, it was the same touch. And she had such control! She had obviously had much more training than Lotah herself, although she was still short of the control Op had had. But who had trained her? Op was dead, eight years ago, there couldn't be a mistake about that.   
  
Maybe Lotah should ask... no, that was too dangerous. Asking Melana about the Force directly would almost certainly reveal Lotah's talents. And Melana was hiding too, she had said it was something her people had, and Lotah certainly would have sensed it if all of the people on that planet had been able to use the Force! So she wouldn't readily admit to being able to use the Force, even if Lotah was willing to give herself away. But there had to be some way to find out more...  
  
Maybe she could ask indirectly, so as not to alarm Melana or give herself away. Then, maybe, she could find whoever taught Melana. Anyone with that sort of control could answer some of her questions... Come to think of it, Melana could probably answer some of her questions, like why the stormtroopers had stormed Op's house, and why she could always feel people's pain. It was amazing all the things she wanted to know, now that she knew that there was a chance that she might actually be able to learn.   
  
And the way that she had healed the wound! Lotah wasn't even aware that such a healing was possible! She would have to try it herself, as soon as she was away from Melana. She could learn so much, just from watching Melana. This changed everything!  
  



	5. V

Melana barely noticed as Lotah left. Never before had it been so easy to call on the Force! Strange, though, that her talent was clearly pointing her towards healing people. What would her mother have thought, knowing that her skill was as a healer?! The idea was ridiculous, a warrior, daughter of the chieftain on a lawless planet, a healer! Despite herself she grinned at the irony of it.  
  
For a second, she considered contacting Master Skywalker right away, to discuss this latest twist in her fate. He always had something constructive to say, and he'd help guide her on a new course.   
  
But then she remembered her personal mission. There was now no doubt that whoever had killed her mother had 'cheated,' and she was now more determined than ever to find that person. That discussion with Master Skywalker could wait until she found the killer and returned to the Academy. If she was still alive at the end of this, she thought, remembering the paper lying on her table.   
  
Retrieving it, she read it over again, but it was simply what Lotah had told her, an order to hold her, as a dangerous criminal, until a ship - designation 2342 - O968, could come pick her up. And there were the words, 'black mark.' Wondering how Lotah would have known what a black mark, Melana reminded herself that a criminal, no matter how small, would probably have channels of information unavailable to most other people. She had said as much at the meeting, anyway.   
  
"Cahi?" she spoke to the air in front of her. The lights in the bay dimmed for a second. "Was that you?" The lights dimmed again.  
  
"Is anyone in the main bunk? Blink once for yes, twice for no." The lights dimmed once.  
  
"Who is it? Tiros?" Two blinks. "Tian?" Two blinks. "Lotah?" One blink.   
  
Melana sighed. This sort of communication was really unsatisfactory. "I'll talk to you later, then." The lights blinked twice. "What, now?" Blink. "I'm not talking like this. Is there somewhere else in the ship where you can use your voice or picture?" Blink. "The galley?" Two blinks. "The main room?" Two blinks. "The cockpit?" Two blinks.   
  
Melana went through the rooms in the ship in her mind. It wouldn't be the bathroom, or Kenneth's area... "That little room with nothing in it?" Blink. "I'll be there in a minute." As she hurried through the ship, Melana wondered what had become of herself - taking orders from a talking computer.  
  
There wasn't 'nothing' in the room. Lorb was sitting on a portable stool in the small room, and instead of his usual personal arsenal, he was practically dripping various mechanical and electronic tools. He looked up as she entered. "Oh, good, you're here," he said in that deep voice.   
  
"You knew I was coming?" Melana was more amused than angry.  
  
"I asked Cahi to have you come here."   
  
The balance began to shift. "Why?"  
  
"Wanted to show you what we've been doing."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Me and Cahi."  
  
"You've been working on something?"  
  
"Yeah, watch." He flipped a switch that, now that she looked closely, Melana could tell had just been installed. A green light appeared on a board next to it.  
  
"So?"   
  
"Just watch." Standing up, he gestured to a small colored target on the floor. It was from a sim-game, one of the ones that made a small beep when hit.   
  
A laser beam shot out from the wall and hit the target. Beep.  
  
Melana jumped. "What was that?"   
  
"Defense system."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"We were experimenting with Cahi being able to control physical things within this room, like air, lights, and a few of these things," he said, gesturing to the pile of instruments on the floor next to him. "She can run them all, even better than humans can, because she controls them through electrical impulses, instead of mechanical. So I hooked one of my hand-lasers into her system. It's actually mean for drilling, but the way she can aim, it doesn't matter. She's only been practicing for fifteen minutes, and already her aim is perfect. I thought that if we installed some of these throughout the ship, it could be a real advantage."  
  
"Wait a second, you're talking about installing lasers throughout the ship, and giving control of all of them to Cahi? Why?"  
  
"If the ship was taken, and Cahi had some firepower, she could take care of any intruders herself."  
  
Melana considered. His point about the ship being taken was valid, and it would make the both of them happy. "You have my permission to install those things throughout the ship. But I want safety switches on all of them, so they don't misfire by accident, and I want you to fix it so that no one can tamper with them. Is that understood?" Lorb nodded, and Cahi's voice murmured an accent.   
  
"Oh, and Cahi wants to know if you can get some data-cubes on flying."  
  
Melana nodded slowly, following his trail of thought. It would probably be wise to have Cahi as a back-up in case they were caught without a pilot, for some reason. And in that case, she had better know something about flying. They didn't need to escape the Imps, only to crash into a building because Cahi had no experience. And, if she was going to get data-cubes, Melana should probably find some way to give Cahi some time flying the ship. "I'll do what I can to arrange it," she said, and left the room, wondering if it would be possible to get a simulator program for Cahi to use at first. It probably wouldn't challenge her long, but Melana wasn't quite ready to trust either herself or the ship to a child.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
"I got it!" Lotah was positively glowing as she ran up the ramp into the ship. Everyone in the main room looked up. Tiros, Tian, Lorb, and Melana were deeply engrossed in a board game, with several holographic figures sitting on top of the table. Kenneth was missing.   
  
"You got it?" Melana said, standing up.  
  
"I got it. Tonight at the Blue Moon Bar."  
  
"Good job!" Tian also rose from his seat, grinning broadly. They had been on Vangran for two weeks now, without any success in finding someone who knew anything about id. Until now. Lotah had just gotten a meeting with a local crime lord who had hinted that he had off-world connections. She was the only one who had been at all active in the last few weeks. Although Tian and Tiros weren't known at this port, Melana insisted that they keep a low profile, and Lotah agreed. For too many people from the same ship to be probing the underworld would be suspicious, and would drive away the very people they were trying to meet. So they stayed in the ship most of the time, fiddling around with the instruments, playing card and board games, and getting bored.   
  
Lorb went out a few times a day, as did Kenneth, to get supplies - of new games, as well as food that was not vacuum-sealed. Melana thought herself too memorable and stayed in the ship all the time.   
  
Lotah, on the other hand, spent almost all of her time out of the ship, only coming back to sleep. She was trying to work her way into the underworld as quickly as possible, through bribes, threats, and hints of other offers. Now it seemed her work was actually going somewhere.  
  
"They think I'm in the hire of a man from a very low Clan," she said, jerking her head towards Lorb. Melana started at the word 'Clan,' but relaxed, realizing that Lotah was referring to the strange social structure of this planet. Every business empire here was passed on in family lines, called Clans. Everyone's position in a company was pre-determined by the position their parents had held. The underworld was built of people who refused to take their 'proper' spot in society. Some had legitimate businesses, 'underworld' only in the sense that they weren't in their pre-determined positions. The rest were true criminals, who either stole from the rest of society, or killed people in order to take their spot in society. These were the ones that Lotah was dealing with. "They think he wants to eliminate a man from a much higher position, and will meet with me, my partner," she nodded towards Tian, "and the potential client."   
  
"And you'll know whether or not they have a supply of id tonight?"  
  
Lotah nodded. "It'll be a little bit tricky, because you can't ask them directly," she answered, shooting a sharp look towards Lorb and Tian. The message was clear, "Don't get in the way and screw everything up."   
  
"But we will know?" Melana was insistent.  
  
"We'll know."  
  
"So the three of you are going?" Tiros asked, obviously nervous. Not that Melana blamed him - she wouldn't have wanted to see one of her family member go on this trip. But with Lorb, and his weapons, and Lotah, with her knowledge, they were as safe as possible. Tiros had originally volunteered for this job, but Lotah had rejected him, saying it wouldn't look realistic.  
  
"Yes. My boss, my lover," she blushed slightly, "for this gig, and me. They said any more and they won't be there."  
  
"Weapons allowed?" That was Lorb, who showed next to no interest in the part he was to play.   
  
Lotah nodded. "Better bring everything, I don't want to get caught in a firefight with these guys, but if we do, we'll need it all." Lorb nodded and left the room.  
  
There was a short silence, broken by Tian, "So that's it? We just go tonight?"  
  
"Not exactly. This afternoon I'm going to dress you guys for the part."  
  
"What's wrong with my clothes?" He asked, looking annoyed.  
  
"Because you look like a fairly-well-off young pilot from off-planet. You're supposed to be the son of a garbage man. You rebelled against society and are now dealing in illegal arms."  
  
"And what's your part in this?" Tian asked, turning red at her words.  
  
"I'm your girlfriend, another person run away from their job in society. Unfortunately, I'm not too smart, so I've leached on to you. You give me a place to stay, food to eat, and protection, and I run errands for you, take the most dangerous part in most of your dealings, and, well..." She let that trail off - it was pointless to repeat the obvious.   
  
"How about him?" Tiros gestured with his thumb towards the door to the small room. He had taken it over, and was living there, to the point of sleeping on the hard floor with nothing more than a blanket.   
  
"He wears a cloak, and doesn't say anything. The idea is that he is hiding his identity at all costs."  
  
"If he's so careful about hiding his identity, why is he coming along?" Melana asked. She wasn't questioning Lotah's judgment, just collecting information. Now that she had surrendered control of this part of her quest to Lotah, she was doing her best to learn from the girl. Without her fears of discovery, Lotah had blossomed into a capable leader, her experience alone making up for her youth. She was basically directing all of them at this point, but Melana allowed that, as long as Lotah didn't overreach her authority, which began and ended with their operations on the street. Melana was certain that the others realized that Lotah wasn't just a makeup artist from a cruise ship, but none of them had brought up the issue, at least not in her presence.   
  
"They required it," Lotah said, frowning. "Which isn't a good sign. It could be a sign that they're planning to double-cross us, or just that they're very, very cautious. Either way, we're doubly cautious - we don't eat any food, we always keep one hand on a blaster, and keep our eyes open."   
  
That afternoon Lotah handed Lorb a large black cloak, big enough to cover his large frame and to hide the weapons hanging all over his person. She then dusted a layer of makeup on his face, lightening it a few shades. The makeup was guaranteed 'not to smudge, run, or rub off.' Even so, Lotah warned him to keep his hands away from his face and the hood of the cloak pulled all the way forward.   
  
Tian she spent a little more time on, first making him put on a pair of tight black leather pants and boots. Then she made him take off his shirt and put on a matching vest. He complained that he felt like he wasn't wearing anything. She returned that he wanted this to work, didn't he? Then she did something so that his hair, which usually lay flat against his head, stood straight up. It was already dyed pitch black. She stepped back and looked at him critically for a minute, then took her makeup and hid the scales on his face.   
  
After that she started on herself. Disappearing into the main bunk, she chased out Kenneth, who by this time had returned. Fifteen minutes later she came out wearing a short pink skirt, black calf-high boots, and a black top that looked more like a bra than a shirt. Her hair was hideous; instead of changing the colors entirely, or blending away the violet, she colored the rest of her hair that color, then piled it all on top of her hair in a very sloppy ponytail, from which a great deal of her hair escaped to fall around her face. There was a large amount of regular makeup on her face - too much, actually, and bright blue eye shadow. As she stepped out, she asked, "Do I look trashy enough?"  
  
Since neither Lorb nor Tian seemed to be able to speak, Melana answered, "I'm sure you look fine." She actually had very little experience with such things, but Lotah looked a lot like one of the women that were always hanging around the three bars in the port on Nalaskya, and that was probably the look she was trying for.   
"Ready to go?" Lotah asked.  
  
Lorb finally got his eyes back in his head, and nodded affirmatively. Tian continued to stare and said, "Yeah, I'm ready to go."  
  
"Got your blaster?" Lotah asked, a slight accent on the last word. Tian blinked, and his hand came down on the empty holster. Lotah shot him a triumphant glance before softening the look with a little smile. He smiled back and grabbed his blaster. The door opened, and a few seconds later they were on their way.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
The Blue Moon Bar was just like any other of it's sort, poorly lit with blue neon lights, smoky with the refuse from several alien's respiratory functions, and overcrowded. Lotah strutted arm in arm with Tian into the bar, with Lorb walking a few steps behind. Lotah smiled and leaned one cheek briefly against Tian's shoulder in a supposed display of affection. She whispered, "Smile back at me, you look like you're at a funeral." He smiled weakly until she jabbed him in the side with her elbow, and then he widened the smile, slightly.   
  
Lotah spotted an empty booth along the far wall and quickly guided them to it, gliding past the band, singer, and dancers that crowded the floor. She seated herself and looked at Tian, who stared back at her with a puzzled look. Breaking off the stare, she raised her hand to signal the robot waiter, who inquired about their health before asking them what they wanted. Lotah ordered drinks for all three, then settled back in her seat to wait for their contact.   
  
They were right on time. As the numbers on the wall clock clicked to 2100, Lotah's contacts appeared at their table. Lotah waited silently as the three members of the other party pulled up chairs and arranged themselves along the other side of the table, boxing in those who were already sitting in the booth. That's not a good sign...  
  
There were three of them; one human, one Wookie, and one Twilek. The human was a man with a clearly robotic arm, and a shaggy brown beard. The Twilek Lotah hadn't met before, but she had seen him watching her meetings with the human from a nearby window. The Wookie was a female, and this was the first time that Lotah had seen her. Having a Wookie there added an entirely new element of danger to the meeting. Wookies hated the Empire, so the group was less likely to try to turn them in to the Imps, but if it came down to a fight in close quarters, Lotah's side would be at a serious disadvantage. She patted the knife at her waist. A blaster was impossible to hide in this outfit, and the type of person she was playing wouldn't have a blaster of her own. Actually, she didn't use blasters anyway, but she hadn't mentioned that. Unfortunately, that put them at even more of a disadvantage.  
  
"You're looking to get a better place?" the human asked.  
  
Lotah glanced at Lorb, who remained hidden in the fold of the cloak. He paused, then nodded once. Lotah looked at the human. "That's it."  
  
"Got anyone in mind?"  
  
"We'll take care of that. We just want the goods."  
  
"Ah, but that is the hard part, isn't it?" the man asked, stroking his beard with one hand. "I have several wonderful mixtures that will do the job. Odorless, tasteless, virtually undetectable until too late."  
  
"Let's hear 'um," Lotah said.   
  
The man frowned, and pulled out a datacard. He shoved it at her, and Lotah took it, surprised. Very few people in this business ever kept anything in any form that could be used as evidence. Touching the pad lightly, to minimize the number of her fingerprints on the pad, she slid it in front of Tian.   
  
He had been studying different types of poisons for the last few days, aquainting himself with the most effective and popular. Hopefully he could eliminate the other types, in case the id was listed by another name. His eyes flicked up and down the list several times. Finally he glanced at Lotah and gave a quick shake of his head. Lotah looked back to the man. "I'm afraid our client has something specific in mind for this particular person."  
  
"It's not on our list?" the man seemed surprised. Lotah glanced at Tian, who repeated the head shake. The list was very comprehensive, but it didn't have what they were looking for.   
  
"I'm afraid not."  
  
"Perhapse you could name the item desired, and I will tell you if something can be done."  
  
"It's a highly effective poison." Lotah lowered her voice. "Id."  
  
"Id?" the man repeated, stroking his beard. "Just a moment." He pushed his seat back and whispered for a few minutes with his companions. Lotah waited patiently, but Tian started to squirm until she stepped on his foot.  
  
The man slid his chair back up to the table, and Lotah reached for the Force. "Ah, yes, I have heard of such a thing," the man said smoothly. Lotah felt a little bit of pressure on her forehead. He's lying. "But it will be more expensive."   
  
"How long 'till you get it?"  
  
"Oh, I should be able to get it within the week," he said, and she felt the pressure on her forehad. "But it is difficult, and may take a little more time." There was the pressure. "Will that be acceptable to your client?"   
  
Lotah glanced at Lorb. "May we have a moment?"  
  
"By all means." The man sat back in his seat, smiling broadly.  
  
"In private."  
  
The man stopped smiling but stood and gestured to the other two, and they all retreated to the bar, where they had a clear view of Lotah's table. Lotah leaned forward and hissed, "We're getting out of here. Now."   
  
Tian also leaned forward. "Why? I thought he said he had it. Sounds like a good lead to me."  
  
"He was lying - don't ask me how I know, just trust me. Now we've got to get out, before he realizes we're on to him. I don't think he'll be happy to lose the business." She stood up, and they followed.   
  
They rapidly left the bar, but Lotah caught a glimpse of the angry face of the man as he spied them. Turning a corner, Tian let out his breath and rubbed one hand on his forehead. His hand came away sticky with the stuff she used to fix his hair. "I'm glad that's over," he muttered.  
  
"Shhh!" she admonished him, and propelled them further down the street. "We're not done until we're back at the ship!"   
  
"What?"  
  
"You really think they'll let us go, now that we've seen them?"  
  
"You'll think they'll want money?"  
  
"I think they'll want us dead!" Lotah glanced behind them. There was no one following, at least it looked like no one was following.   
  
A shoulder hit her hard from the left side, knocking her into a side alley. She landed hard on the ground and struggled to her feet. As she stood up, Tian hit the ground next to her, and Lorb flew in a second later. The little light that was filtering in from the street was abruptly cut off as three figures stepped into the alley. Lotah raised her knife, which suddenly seemed very puny in comparison to the opposition in front of her.   
  
The Wookie stepped forward, claws and fangs bared. Lotah held her knife ready. Danger! She jumped back as the Wookie lunged and missed by a few centimeters. She's fast! A little off balance, Lotah lunged forward with her knife, trusting that the Force would guide her safely. Slashing with her knife, she felt it connect. Then a stab of pain shot through her chest, and she fell to the ground gasping.   
  
With an enraged roar, the Wookie grabbed her arm and lifted Lotah off her feet. The knife fell to the ground with a clatter. As she dangled off the ground, Lotah saw a large red mark on the Wookie's chest. A few feet from several large teeth, Lotah decided that this was a bad position to be in. Using the huge arms holding her for leverage, she kicked at the slash on the Wookie's chest. And she connected. The Wookie howled and dropped her.   
  
Twisting mid-air, Lotah managed to land on her feet. Grabbing her knife on the first bounce, Lotah backed up several feet until she stood between Lorb and Tian. They had both taken shelter behind the outdated trashcans resting in the middle of the alley. They weren't much for cover, but they were better than nothing. "Are you all right?" Tian whispered, and Lotah nodded.   
  
For a few seconds no one moved, although Lotah could hear the muted growls of the Wookie talking to the others. Tian and Lorb both had their guns trained on the Wookie. There was another blaster laying on the ground next to her. "Take the blaster," Lorb directed, not moving.   
  
"I can't." Lotah slipped the blaster back into Lorb's holster. His expression was unreadable inside the cloak, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"It's a long story, I just can't."  
  
"What?!" For a second he looked as if he wanted to use the blaster on her. Then he got control of himself and raised his voice. "Get back or we will open fire."   
  
"Surrender and we may spare your lives," the human yelled back.   
  
Lotah shook her head violently. "Don't trust them," she hissed. Looking around, she saw that the construction of the house had made a slight protrusion running all the way up the wall. It was almost five meters tall. Maybe I can...   
  
The Wookie again lunged, this time with a knife. She made no effort to go for anyone except for Lotah, who was the most exposed. Half-closing her eyes as the Force ran through her, Lotah jumped around the huge hairy arm and slashed downward. The knife cut deep into the skin, and Lotah felt pain in her already injured right arm. Lotah jerked the knife free and parried the attack of the Wookie, who was now holding a large blade. The blade missed and went over Lotah's shoulder, followed by the arm. Taking the opportunity as it came, Lotah grabbed the arm and, spinning around, jerked it forward as she kicked backwards. The result was a surprisingly strong kick from her small frame. The kick caught the Wookie directly in her stomach, and Lotah heard the wind rush out of her.  
  
Turning, she temporarily abandoned the Wookie and grabbed the stout rope hanging from Lorb's belt. Still short of breath from the pain the lashback through the Force brought, she spun and kicked the knife out of Wookie's hand. The blade skittered across the floor, providing the distraction she needed. The two at the end of the alley fired several shots at the blade, and Lotah took a chance.  
  
"Cover me!" she shouted, and sprinted for the corner of the wall. The houses here were of the poorest families, constructed mostly of homemade bricks, with large cracks in between. Lotah jammed her fingers into one of the cracks above her head and pulled up as hard as she could, concentrating her link with the Force to flow into her arms. Her desperate plan worked better than she thought, and she shot up the wall. She barely had time to grasp new handholds before the full weight of her body was again on her arms. But now she also jammed her toes into the cracks, and scrambled upward as fast as she could. Dimly aware of a full-fledged fire-fight going on below her, and of a few blaster shots hitting the wall dangerously close to where she was climbing, Lotah pulled herself over the top edge of the roof.   
  
Not pausing to catch her breath, Lotah looped the rope over one of the supporting poles, testing it with her own weight to be sure it was secure. It was, and she threw the end of the rope back down the wall. "Climb up!" she shouted at the two figures below her. They both looked up, then Lorb said something to Tian. Tian started climbing the rope.  
He was surprisingly agile, bracing himself expertly against the wall as he pulled upward with his arms. Lorb was still providing cover fire, but the crooks were closing in on him. Lotah grabbed a rock that had broken off from the chimney and, taking careful aim, threw it at them. There was a cry of pain from the human, and he stopped shooting. Lotah hadn't used the Force for the throw, so she didn't feel anything.   
  
Now Tian was next to her on the roof, shooting down at the remaining two assailants. "Come on, Lorb!" he shouted.   
  
Lorb got off three more shots and dove across the open space between the two barrels. He took two more shots, more or less without even looking, then made a desperate grab for the rope. Slowly he ascended the rope, severely hindered by the cloak and heavy weapons. Tian continued to fire at the others from his position at the edge of the roof. Lights were turning on all around them as the citizens of the region woke up. In a few minutes or less the local law would be here.   
  
Lotah gave up looking for another rock and grabbed on to the dangling end of the rope, pulling with all her might. Meter by meter, the rope inched upward, while the motion at the end of the rope assured Lotah that Lorb was still climbing. She thought her arms would be pulled out of their sockets, but she planted her feet and hung on. After what seemed like an eternity, Lorb's hand landed on the edge of the roof, and he pulled himself up. Immediately he turned back and fired several shots back down behind him. From his new vantage point, he hit the Wookie immediately, and narrowly missed the Twilek.   
  
The Twilek, on seeing both of his companions downed, turned and ran. Lotah extended her senses down to the ground. The Wookie was dead, she couldn't feel any Force within her. The human was merely unconscious, he would recover given time. She couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through her body as her mind encountered the Wookie. "Come on," she muttered. "The authorities will be here in a minute. We'd better not be."   
  
Turning, she carefully made her way across the slanted roof. It was slippery, and the center of the roof was lower than the edges, made to collect the scant rain that fell on this continent. She slipped once, but Lorb caught her arm. He was rough, and the grip on her injured arm made her gasp.   
  
They got to the edge of the roof. Lotah paused, then jumped lightly to the next roof, a meter and a half away. Tian landed beside her a few second later, and she grabbed his vest to keep him from sliding down into the center of the roof, trying to ignore the fact that his eyes were closed when he landed. It was the action, the fact that he'd gotten up the courage to jump, that counted, not his fear. Then they were off again, with Lorb behind them.   
  
After jumping three more roofs, they returned to the streets. Even though they were moving fairly quickly, it took them the better part of an hour to get home. It was just past midnight when they silently entered the hanger. There were no lights on, not even in the ship. They groped around blindly in the darkness until they ran into the ship. A few more minutes of searching found them the door. It slowly opened, the ramp sliding down, and a very dim light shone from inside. They stumbled up the ramp and into the ship. The door closed behind them, and every light in the ship went on.  
  
"Are you all right?" Tiros asked, reaching out towards Tian. The two embraced, momentarily surprising Lotah until she remembered that they were family. Family did that sort of thing all the time.   
  
"We're fine," Tian said with a warm smile for his father.   
  
"Did they have it?" Melana asked.  
  
Shaking her head, Lotah answered, "Nope. They lied and said that they did, but they don't." She paused, knowing Melana wouldn't like the next news. "Listen, we'd better make arrangements to leave here tomorrow. They followed us out of the bar and there was a fight. One of them was killed, and one badly injured. The last one ran off and will provide evidence that we attacked them." She tried not to think about how tired she was.  
  
"They attacked us," Tian corrected.   
  
Lotah rolled her eyes, despite her fatigue. "Boy you're green. What's going to make him tell the truth? If the authorities track him down, he'll have five friends to say how we viscously attacked them. It'll be our word against theirs, and we'll be outnumbered. Besides, who's still alive?"  
  
"Make the arrangements," Melana ordered Tiros, who was watching the proceedings without comment.  
  
He shook his head before Lotah could interrupt. "We take off right now, it'll look suspicious. Wait 'till the morning, then schedule a flight plan mid-morning. They'll be a ton of arrivals and departures then, and we won't be noticed."  
  
At least one of them has some sense. In Lotah's opinion, for someone as obviously well-traveled as Tian was, he had very little street-sense. At least he'd come out of this trip with some common sense. That'd give him a fighting chance if he really did strike out on his own. Why should I care what he learns?  
  
"Hey! You're bleeding!" Tian exclaimed, pointing to Lotah's chest. There was a wet line appearing, showing even through the shiny material.   
  
Lotah's hand went to her chest. It came away red. "It's just a scratch!" she explained. "I'll tend to it." Running into the bunk, she leaned against the door. Hopefully no one had noticed that the slash was exactly like the one marring the chest of the now-dead Wookie. Never before had the pain she felt on hurting someone actually turned into an injury. She shuddered to think of what would have happened if she had used the blaster Lorb gave her.  
  
Pulling off the tight shirt, which was uncomfortable anyway, she examined herself in the mirror. There was a thin cut running from her left shoulder to her right hip. When she looked at her arm, she discovered a new cut, in the same place that she had stabbed the Wookie. Pulling her cloak out of her bag, she pulled it over her head, ignoring the way the blood smeared on her chest. Carefully composing her face, she opened the door again. "Lorb, where are the bandages?"   
  
Lorb glared furiously at her, but stood up and walked to the cargo bay. "I'll bring it to the bunk," he said through gritted teeth. Feeling a wave of hatred sweep across her, Lotah stared at Lorb, shocked. He usually was so easy going and dependable. Now he was walking away, seething, barely able to control his anger. He's probably just tired and grumpy, she tried to convice herself, but didn't believe it.  
  
He returned a few minutes later and shoved the box of medical supplies at her. Lotah took it, saying, "Thank you." He grunted in reply, and continued watching her until the door to the bunk closed.   
  
Pulling the cloak off, Lotah examined the brownish stain spread across the front. I'll never get this out. She felt a tingle on the back of her neck, and rubbed it reflexively. Didn't realize I got nicked there, too. Belatedly she realized that she was exhausted and not at the top of her game. She smeared some ointment across her chest and on her arm, then wrapped a bandage around her chest and slapped a small bandage on her arm. Sifting carelessly through her bag, she pulled out a tight black long-sleeved shirt. At least it would hold the bandage against her chest.   
  
The tingle on her neck grew stronger and wouldn't go away when she rubbed it. Stupid bug bites, itch like crazy... Something was bugging her, something she was forgetting, but she was too tired to think about that now. She lay down on her bunk.   
  
The door opened, and Lorb walked in. He stared at her, and Lotah felt the tingle run up and down her back. Danger. She was suddenly wide awake again, clearing her mind of the inclarity caused by her exhaustion. From Lorb? Although he had been sullen at first, he seemed to be the most open of all the crew. Seemed, although he never told anyone about his past. What had happened?   
  
The door closed silently behind him, and Lorb walked up to Lotah's bed. Not wanting to be caught in such an awkward position, she stood up and stepped away from the bed. "Hi."  
He didn't bother to answer. As he turned his back to her, she saw his shoulders tense. For a second she thought that he was going to attack her, but then he got control of himself.   
"We have to talk, now," he growled in a voice that dripped with anger.  
  
"How about tomorrow?" she suggested, trying to avoid a confrontation.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Tiros hadn't paid much attention as the girl and Lorb went into the bedroom. Tian was busy reciting their exploits both at the club and in the alley, and Tiros was hovering between relief at seeing his son safe and anger at himself for allowing Tian to be part of this crazy mission. Then he heard the shout from inside the bunk.   
  
He was the first to the door, and when it slid open he was confronted with a strange scene. Lotah was backed up against the wall, a furious glare on her face as Lorb - solid, dependable Lorb - stood in front of her, yelling insults at her in a language that Tiros didn't understand. The most he could make out was that Lorb was accusing Lotah of something, but what was beyond him. Tiros paused on the threshold, absolutely dumbfounded by what was going on in front of him. He couldn't imagine what had gotten into Lorb - he had seemed like such a stable person, dependable. For him to go nuts like this just didn't make any sense.  
  
Melana and Tian didn't hesitate, though. Shoving him aside, Melana stepped between Lorb and Lotah, shielding her from his words. After a few seconds Lorb noticed that Melana most definitely wasn't on his side. He made a sarcastic comment in that other language, then slammed his hand against the wall and stomped out of the room.  
  
"What happened?" Kenneth asked from behind Tiros.   
  
"I...I don't know." Tiros asked.  
  
"What happened?" she directed her question at Lotah, who was still pressed against the wall. Now that he looked at her, Tiros noticed that Lotah hadn't been the least bit nervous about having the huge black mercenary shouting that the top of his lungs directly at her.  
  
"He started yelling at me," Lotah answered, stepping away from the wall. She looked exhausted, and like she needed a few week's rest in order to recover from her injuries. "He was accusing me of something, but I don't know that language."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't know?" Something about Melana's tone caught Tiros's attention. She knows something about that girl, and she doesn't trust her.  
  
"I don't know," Lotah repeated, a small edge in her voice.  
  
"She's a bitch and a traitor," Lorb said, walking back into the room.   
  
"What did I do?" Lotah practically shouted. Looking at her, Tiros noticed that the corners of her mouth were turned down in a frown, almost as if she were about to cry. Couldn't be. She would never allow herself to show weakness like that. As far as he was concerned, she was a little liar and a thief, no regard for anyone else's property or rights. People like that didn't care about anyone or anything but themselves.  
  
"You betrayed us!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You betrayed us! Back in the alley, you didn't take the blaster! You could have gotten us killed!"  
  
"What blaster?" Melana turned to Lotah, who suddenly looked very nervous.  
  
"We were pinned down in the alley, with the dealers hunting for us with blasters. I offered her one of mine - and she wouldn't take it. It could have cost us our lives, and she didn't tell us earlier that she didn't know how to use one! She lied and said she could handle herself!"  
  
"I can handle myself!" Lotah cried. "And I got us out of there, didn't I?" Tiros noticed she didn't mention the blaster.  
  
"What happened back there?" this time Melana directed her question at Tian.   
  
Tiros was proud to note that Tian didn't flinch under her attention or hesitate, he went directly into his narrative. "We went to the Blue Moon Bar, just like we'd planned. Our contacts came right on time too, a human, Wookie, and Twi'lek. We talked for a couple minutes, they *said* they could get us the id." Here he paused for the first time, frowning. "But Lotah said that they were lying, so we got out of there. We were headed back to the ship when we accidentally turned into an alley. They trapped us there and we took cover behind some barrels. The Wookie grabbed her," he pointed to Lotah, "but she used that knife of hers and fought him off. She backed up to our cover, and then Lorb tried to give her one of his extra blasters. He told her to take it and she refused. The Wookie attacked again, this time with a knife, with the other two covering him. Lotah disarmed him, then grabbed a rope that Lorb had. She ran to a corner of the building..."  
  
"Corner? You mean in the back of the alley?" Melana interrupted.  
  
"No. The building to our left had a slight proturbance sticking out, that formed a corner all the way up the wall. She - she jammed her fingers into the cracks in the wall and somehow pulled herself all the way up the wall." He shook his head. Tiros would have to ask him later about that - the manuever he described sounded fairly difficult, but if a small girl could do it, certainly Tian could learn to do it as well. "When she got to the top, she secured the line, then threw it back down for us. I climbed next, with Lorb giving me cover fire. I thought..." he turned to look at Lotah. "I thought I saw you throw something."  
  
"A rock." Lotah supplied. All the earlier emotions had gone out of her voice, and she sounded as impersonal now as when they first met her. No, not quite like that. He reminded himself, thinking of how inexperienced she had seemed. Just an act, she's probably seen as much action as Tian, or more.   
  
"She threw a rock at the human and hit him. Then I provided cover for Lorb while he climbed. Lotah helped pull him up on the rope. By that time both the Wookie and human were down, and the Twi'lek ran off. Then we headed across rooftops for a while, then we got back down on the streets and made our way back here."  
  
Melana nodded. "Thank you." Then, turning to Lotah, "But none of that explains why you wouldn't take the blaster. It seems to me that you could have provided cover for them while they were climbing." She let her last words hang in the air.  
  
When Lotah didn't show any signs of answering, Melana said, "Why didn't you take the blaster?"  
  
"My, my father," Lotah answered hesitatingly. She refused to make eye contact with Tian, who was staring at her anxiously. "He was killed in front of me, in cold blood, by a maniac wielding a blaster. The guards cut the guy down, but my father was already dead. I...I swore never to touch a blaster."  
  
"Not even to save your life?" Tiros asked, disbelieving. He had seem some fanatics in his time, but never actually seen any of them follow through on their 'ideals.'   
  
"We're still alive. And, no, not even to save my life, I won't touch one. But I try to stay out of situations where it would make a difference," she said with a weak smile, finally looking Tiros in the eye.   
  
"I disagree with your philosophy, but I can respect it," Melana said grudgingly. "And that doesn't explain why you lost it," she said to Lorb, who was quietly seething in his place in the doorway.   
  
Lorb stared at Melana, but didn't say anything. "No matter who you were, while you are working for me I want all complaints to come to me. If you truly believed that she had betrayed us, you should have come to me. Did you really think that she had betrayed us?"  
"I don't know," he muttered to the floor.  
  
"Then you should have brought it to me. Instead you chose to scream at her for several minutes. I would like to hear your explanation. Now." Her tone brooked no argument.  
  
Lorb stared at Lotah angrily for a second, then glanced down. "I, I left home when I was seventeen. My parents ran a small chain of food stores, but that wasn't what I wanted in my life. So I hooked up with a man named Reclat. He told me he was an independent trader, and I believed him." Tiros winced. Most 'independent traders' were smugglers and pirates, nothing more. "He taught me everything I know about ship repair, navigation, and fighting. He was my friend." The pain in Lorb's voice was palpable. "Then, on Tartis III, we were approached by a couple of men. They were a couple of agents for the Protectors, some security force on a small planet near the Rim. They'd been following Reclat for several years, from before when I joined him. They claimed he had attacked a small moon outpost in that system, and completely devastated the colony, destroyed the air refreshers, and wrecked everything until the colonists paid him several thousand credits. Then he left them to die, and they would have, except that they juryrigged a new communications system and sent for help.   
  
"I didn't believe them, of course, and we killed both of them. I didn't think of it again until a few months later, when he set up a bunch of *real* independent traders. I don't know how he did it, but when I brought our ship down, he'd managed to capture a group of them and had them in binders. He was planning to sell the lot as slaves. I told him I wouldn't be part of that, and he told me that I could join them if I felt like that." He took a deep breath. "I trusted him. And he would have traded me for a few credits at the first chance.   
  
"I lost it at that. I drew a vibro-blade on him. It was the only weapon I had at the time. He always thought of himself as a kind of weapons expert, so he didn't try to shoot me. He drew another knife, and we started sparring. He had just beaten me, he was going to stab me, when the traders turned the tables on both of us. I don't know how, but somehow they managed to get free from the binders. When I looked up, they had about fifteen blasters trained on the both of us. I thought we were both dead, but they let me go, I guess because I provided a distraction that let them escape. They told me that they called someone who was coming to arrest him. Then they told me to take our ship and get out of there, and I did."  
  
He sighed. "I had our ship, my ship, for all of a year when I got ambushed by a bunch of pirates. They literally blew out the ship from under me. I barely escaped with my life, and it later turned out that a business acquaintance had set me up. I've been working as a mercenary ever since, trying to earn enough money to buy another ship and start over again."   
  
Now he turned his eyes towards Lotah, who was watching him with a strange look on her face. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, but when she refused to take the blaster, and she didn't tell me why, all I could think was that she was preparing to betray us, like Reclat betrayed me. I guess somewhere I knew it wasn't true, but I wasn't really thinking." He glanced at the floor, then back up at Lotah. "I owe you an apology."   
  
"An interesting story, if it is true," Melana said dispassionately. "But how do we know it is true? And even if it is, that is no assurance that we won't have a repeat of this incident."  
  
"I don't know what else I can do to prove it to you!" Lorb protested. "My ship is gone, Reclat is gone, and I have no idea where any of those traders are! All the people who could have proven my story true are either dead or missing! I have no way of convincing you that I'm telling the truth!"  
  
"Yes you do." Lotah said quietly. "He is telling the truth," she spoke to Melana.  
  
"How do you know?" Melana asked skeptically.  
  
Instead of answering, Lotah walked over to Lorb. Standing in front of him, she separated her hair into two parts, then held each part on the sides of her head. "Look familiar?" she directed her question at Lorb.   
  
He frowned, then his eyes widened in recognition. "You, you were in the trader's group!"  
  
Lotah nodded. "With my ma..father. I remember you, and that man. We were supposed to pick up some supplies after the coordinates of the rendezvous were sent directly to the computers. Instead of coordinates, they sent through some sort of virus that slaved our ship's computer to that guy." She shook her head. "After that incident, we spent several weeks docked at a mechanic's just so that we could have some software installed that would prevent that ever happening again." She trailed off, her eyes becoming glazed. Tiros wondered what she was thinking.  
  
"So you can confirm his story?" Melana asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Melana nodded once sharply. "Then I leave the decision of whether or not he stays to you," she said to Lotah.   
  
Lotah looked startled. "Me?" Tiros would have laughed at her surprise if the situation wasn't so serious.   
  
"You were the one who triggered the episode, and you have past knowledge of him. It is your decision."  
  
Lotah recovered quickly, then closed her eyes. No one moved until she opened them a full minute later to stare at Lorb. Then she closed them again, and was silent for another minute. Finally she said, "He stays. He gave us our lives before, doing the right thing. I will trust that he will do the right thing again. Besides, it wasn't as if he actually attacked me."  
  
Melana looked surprised, but didn't say anything. She turned around and marched out of the room. Kenneth turned from his post at the door and walked back to the main room. Lotah lay down on her bunk and appeared to go to sleep. Lorb looked at Lotah silently for a minute, then turned and left the room. Tian stared at Tiros. "That's it?"   
  
"I guess so," Tiros said, glancing at Lotah. "That'll be something to talk about on our way to wherever we go next, at least." He turned off the light and lay down on his own bunk, suddenly very, very tired.   
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
The next morning they notified the control tower of their flight plan, and thanks to the efficiency of government, by late afternoon they were on their way. They plotted a course to Desrii, then settled in for the three-day flight through hyperspace.   
  
"Melana?" Cahi asked. Melana was in the small room that Lorb had set aside for the computer entity.   
  
"Yes?" Melana wasn't really in the mood to talk to Cahi. Lotah had asked if she could heal the cut on her chest, and Melana was looking forward for a chance to test her abilities again. At the academy she had been concentrating on learning to be a warrior Jedi, it had never occurred to her to learn the healing techniques.   
  
"Lorb installed the defense system, and I can hit a target anywhere on the ship." Cahi paused and glanced down. Her image glanced down. Melana still hadn't decided how she would think of Cahi. "I wanted to know if I could, sometime, try to fly the ship." She looked at Melana hopefully.   
  
"I think that would be possible," Melana said, watching the face on the screen. Cahi's face brightened, both figuratively and literally.   
  
"Really?" Melana fought the impulse to smile - Cahi reminded her of a child from her village, a younger brother of one of her contemporaries. The boy had been constantly playing practical jokes on everyone, and hadn't been particularly popular with most of the Clan, but he had a way of grinning as he made an apology that negated his words. He also was so incredibly grateful when anyone did anything for him, it was pathetic. Her smile died as she remembered how she had last seen him, lying on a funeral pyre, the wound caused by the arrow that killed him carefully hidden by his clothing. He had wandered too close to a rival Clan's land and had been shot by their archers. At the time he was fifteen, practically an infant by their standards.  
  
"It may take a while, but I'll see to it that you get a chance to fly. But not until after this mission is over. Until then... Lorb installed that simulator program?"  
  
"Yes, I've been practicing every day."  
  
"Keep practicing for now, and after we've finished finding the killer, you can try."  
  
"Thank you, Melana. Oh, and I've finished running some background checks on the rest of the crew."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Well, after what I found about Lotah, I thought it might be a good idea. Besides, it's something to do. It helps pass the time."  
  
Melana nodded. "Find anything you think I should know about?"  
  
"Tiros has a small Imperial bounty on him, but I found out it's because he wouldn't massacre a colony back when the Empire was still in control. I don't think that will be a problem for you, right?"   
  
Melana shook her head, "Anyone who refuses to kill people should be rewarded, not punished."   
  
"That's what I thought you'd say."  
  
"That's what you thought I'd say?"  
  
Cahi blushed bright red. "Sorry."  
  
"It's all right. Thank you for the info. Anything else?"  
  
"Not yet."   
  
"All right."  
  
"Can I go tell Lorb?" The expression on her face was so pathetic Melana almost cracked a smile again.   
  
"Yes you may." Cahi's image blinked out.   
  
Melana sensed someone behind her and spun around to see Lotah standing in the door. "Checking up on us?" Lotah asked sarcastically.   
  
"How long have you been standing there?" Melana asked. She should have been able to sense Lotah's approach.   
  
"Long enough. Who is she?"  
  
"No one."  
  
"Really, who is she?"  
  
" 'She' is the computer. I picked a face so that I would have something to address," Melana lied.   
  
"You're lying," Lotah stated. "Why?"  
  
Melana diverted the topic. "How do you know I'm lying?"   
  
"You always shift your gaze when you lie, it's easy to spot. If you ever want to get along in the lanes, you'll either have to get an honest job or learn how to lie."  
  
Melana allowed herself a smile. "There's such a thing as an honest job? I was told differently."  
  
"That's pretty close to true, but there are honest jobs. Tiros and Tian have found some, for example. Who told you about the lanes?"  
  
"Just a friend." It occurred to Melana that Lotah was actually opening up. Until now Melana would have sworn that the girl couldn't do that. She must want something in return, but what? Freedom? Trust? Information? "Is the rest of our group as easy to see through as I am?"   
  
Lotah hesitated. Then, she answered, "Sometimes, sometimes not. It depends on who you're talking about, and what they're lying about."  
  
"It makes a difference?"   
  
"Of course." Lotah stared at Melana with a strange expression. "You don't have a lot of experience with lying, do you?"  
  
"My people do not lie, so I had no experience with it growing up. My mother told me about lying, and I saw some of it among the traders who visited our world. And then..." She stopped. I almost said something about the Academy!   
  
"Then?"  
  
"Then I started traveling around, so I've seen a lot since then."  
  
Lotah nodded. "Should we go to your room, or do you want to start here?"   
  
"My quarters." They walked silently to the cargo bay. Lotah seated herself cross-legged on the floor, and unzipped the front of her shirt. The bandages had already been removed, so the slash was easily visible. A scab had already formed over most of it, stretching from her right shoulder to her left hip. "What was it done with?"  
  
"Just a regular knife." Melana felt a slight tingle run up and down her spine. She's lying. Why?  
  
Extending her hands out, she opened her senses to the Force. It filled her, and she channeled it to Lotah's chest. Several minutes later she sensed a moment of completion, and reluctantly cut down her connection to the Force. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see an expression mirroring her own on Lotah's face - a little regret that it was over, a little longing, and deep satisfaction.   
  
Melana examined Lotah's chest, and was gratified to see that the cut was completely healed, save for a faint scar. "Anything else?"  
  
"Just something small on my arm, it'll heal on it's own in a few days."   
  
"I can heal it if you want."  
  
Lotah looked expectant. "That would be great. Those kinds of cuts get infected really easily."  
  
Melana waited until Lotah rolled up her sleeve and unwrapped the bandage. "You have some experience with treating wounds?"  
  
"Some," Lotah said darkly. Then they were silent as her arm was healed. "Thank you."  
  
"My pleasure," Melana answered, then decided to take a chance. "When did you learn about cuts?"  
  
Lotah looked up from examining her arm. "Why do you ask?" there was a hint of fear in her voice.  
  
"When a person heals, they are somewhat open to the emotions and feelings of the people they're helping. When I healed you, I sensed a deep secret, and pain. I would like to know about it."  
  
Lotah examined her face intently for a moment, then pulled off her shirt.   
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"You asked." Lotah twisted, almost succeeding in looking at her own bare back. "Rub it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Rub my back a little. I can't reach it." Then, contradictory to her words, Lotah reached with her newly-healed arm and rubbed her back by the right shoulder. Melana tentatively touched Lotah's back, in the middle where the girl couldn't reach. Something slightly stick and grainy came away on her hands. Pulling back, she examined her fingertips. There was a light tan substance on them, some sort of makeup.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
"Just watch." Lotah rubbed some more, and something began to show from under the makeup. Several minutes later, a fine line was revealed. "Do you know what that is?"  
  
"That's a scar, but I don't know what it's from."  
  
"It's from a whip. I was once a slave, and I received a very bad beating. That pain enough for you?"  
  
Melana stared at the scar. It was small, unobtrusive thing, but it represented a great pain. "Your whole back is covered with these?"  
  
"Brilliant observation."  
  
"Who treated it? I don't know that much about whips, but a bacta bath should have taken care of those scars."  
  
"A...a friend of mine treated it." Alarms went off in Melana's head. She's lying again. "Slaves, where I was at the time, aren't allowed access to bacta. It's all right, it healed fine."  
  
"That's why you reacted so strongly to the slaves back home. You said it was because a friend of yours was sold into slavery."  
  
"Well, it was true. But my friend was sold at the same time I was, when one of our master's sold us."  
  
"Who were your masters?"  
  
"Mostly traders, which is when I saw that episode between Lorb and his pal. I kept up traveling after my last master freed me in his will."  
  
"Thank you for telling me the truth." Sort of, she added mentally. Lotah had been fairly honest with her story, but there was no doubt in Melana's mind that the girl had held something back.  
  
"Thank you for healing me." Then Lotah stood and left, leaving Melana alone to consider what she had just learned.  
  



	6. VI

Tian didn't like Desrii - the tall, leafy trees surrounding every artificially constructed building seemed to be closing in on them at all moments. The hanger they docked in wasn't even a real hanger, it was an abandoned castle-like construction, once the home of an official of the Old Republic, now converted into a clearance tower for incoming traffic. The furnishings still reflected the gaudy tastes of the previous owner, the halls were covered in shiny materials of every imaginable color, and there were still bits and pieces of carpet lining the walls.   
It was a small comfort that his companions, Lotah in particular, seemed as uneasy with their surroundings as he was. They were standing in a long line at the main entrance, waiting for their ID's to be processed. Tian took another glance at his papers. They looked fine, except that he was about to bend his card in two. "Stop that," Lotah murmured without looking at him. "You look strange."   
Tian shot her a quick smile, and tried to ease up on his papers. His *fake* papers, which was the problem. According to them, his name was Trinian Ewn, and he grew up on some planet in the Inner Ring. This wasn't his first experience with false identities, but this was the first time trying to actually use one of those identities to get past a planet's security. There was no reason for any of those officials to suspect his group of anything, but all it would take would be some whim of an official to have their papers examined closely, and that would be the end of that.   
He shifted his weight so that he stood a little closer to Lotah. "What do you want?" she asked with a pleasant smile. It was completely fake, but fairly convincing.   
"I thought we might talk a little, to pass the time. After all," he said with slight emphasis, "we are married."   
The frown that passed over her face was gone almost too quickly to see, but he caught it. He grinned. It was great to be able to tease her like that, especially here where she couldn't return the favor. "About what would we talk, dear husband?" Her tone was like acid.  
"Just things that I heard on our ship. Rumors, like..." he dropped his voice slightly. "Is it true that you used to be a slave?"  
She turned away slightly. "I'd think that if you had to pick a topic for us to talk about, it would at least be a safe topic." They were silent for a minute. "Yes, it's true."   
"What was it like?"  
"Terrible." She was silent for a while. He waited, and finally his patience was rewarded when she continued. "Do you know what it's like not to own your own time? To work hard every day, and to know that no matter what you did, no matter how well you did, nothing would change that? And watching other people come and go, and to know that if you left to go out for a couple hours with your friends like those people that you'd be punished for it? That's not a life."  
"I'm sorry," he murmured, "I didn't mean to upset you like that."  
She stared into the distance. "Never again. I swore the day I was freed, never again. I'll die before I go back to that existence." Nervously she cleared her throat and said in a louder voice, "So tell me about your time guarding the Sunset. I once had a friend who traveled on that cruise line, and she said it was quiet exquisite." She smiled sweetly.  
Tian wondered how she had found out that he and his father had worked for the Sunset. He had a feeling that he was just about to go through the same sequence that he had just put Lotah through. It probably wouldn't be pleasant. "Fine, I guess, although we saw a little more action then I would have liked. The wages were all right, but whenever we parked at a planet, we went on-ship, and most of their clients were incredibly arrogant." He shrugged, hoping she'd let it end.   
Of course, she didn't. "What sort of trouble?" she asked sweetly.   
Tian managed not to tell Lotah in clear terms exactly what he thought of her persistence in asking dangerous questions. The problem with the job with the Sunset wasn't with the Sunset itself, but with the passengers she carried. Tian never knew exactly who was on that passenger list, but they must have been some of the higher-level officials in the Rebellion, because the Empire sent several smaller ships against them. Tian had been too young to fly a ship, but Tiros, along with the rest of the independent pilots, had helped fight them off. Not until after the fact had they realized that the enemy fighters had been Imperialists.   
There had been mass panic as the pilots realized what happened, fearing the consequences when the Empire found out who had been on the Sunset. Luckily that was when the Rebellion decided to take Coruscant, so the remnants of the Empire lost track of the activities of a few pilots. At the time, Tian hadn't realized how dangerous attention from the Empire could be for them, but now, thinking back on the situation, he was dismayed by how close they had come to being found.   
He shrugged. "Oh, just a couple of pirates, nothing too bad." Then line moved forward, and Tian handed his fake I.D. to the strict-looking female official. After all of his worrying, the woman didn't even look twice at him before waving him through. As they exited the castle, the bright light assaulted their eyes. Pausing, Lotah suggested, "Why don't we go to Manui?"  
"What?"  
"Well, we have over two hours until we have to meet the others. We might as well get something decent to eat. Isn't that what couples do?"  
He shrugged. "I guess so."  
"Then shall we do lunch, dear?" Lotah asked sweetly, proffering her arm.   
Tian smiled as gallantly as possible, took her arm, and said, "Of course, darling."  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Lorb was actually the one who arranged their next meeting. It turned out that he had a few friends in low places, and managed to get them an appointment with a man known locally as 'Virus.' He was rumored to be one of the Malaki Poisoners, or one of the Emperor's assassins, or both. After a little discussion, it was decided that they would stay with the groupings they had used to get on-planet. Lotah and Tian would meet Virus, while Melana and Tiros, posing as business partners, would watch from a discreet distance. Lorb and Kenneth would monitor the meeting in the ship via the com-link.   
Lotah had no idea why Kenneth was still with them. He was next to useless now, and complained constantly about everything from the living conditions to the lack of entertaining companions. Several days ago, while they were still stuck in hyperspace, Lotah had decided she liked the shy, silent Kenneth better. It had to be the money, Melana was paying them an exorbitant amount of money each week, and even Lotah liked to look at the small pile of credits accumulating in her bag. She hadn't had this much money since she ran away, and it would be useful when this job was over.  
When this job was over... Lotah was surprised to find that she didn't want this job to end. It was almost like the others really cared about what happened to her, and she was surely loosing those who followed her, with all this jumping around from planet to planet. With the money she saved from this trip, she could buy a new identity and get a real job, a steady one, and build a new life. It was a tempting prospect, and one she intended to follow up on, after this job was over. For now, she was enjoying the company. Things were going well.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
"We have another report, Captain." Luitenant Bailey reported. "It's about the assassin on the ship. His report indicates that they are searching for some special poison, at a secret location possibly only known to the Malkite Poisoners. He thought that the location of the planet that the Poisoners use to grow some of their most lethal poisons would be useful to our cause."   
"Reasonable enough, although I'm surprised that he was given authorization to proceed."  
"Actually, sir, he didn't get authorization. He is deep undercover, and we can't contact him, so he is just continuing on his own initiative."  
"Did he mention the name of the poison."  
"Yes, sir. It's..." Bailey checked the data-pad in his hand. "called id."  
"Find out everything you can about this id. And I want to know where they are now."  
"Yes, sir." Renal was pleased to see that Bailey's hands never shook, even as the sweat rolled off him, and his voice trembled with fear. It seemed that the time spent in the barracks had changed him for the better - he no longer trembled or hesitated, no matter what happened. And that small scar above his right eyebrow somehow enhanced his looks.   
"They are currently on Desrii. The information suggests that they are traveling from planet-to planet, getting in touch with various criminal organizations on each planet. There have been a few deaths reported on one of the planets while they were there - they may have been involved."  
"Captain, do you want me to plot a course for Desrii?" the new navigation officer asked. He was trying to anticipate her requests, incorrectly this time, but it was still a good quality. She should remember to commend him for that.   
"No, not this time. Even at top speed, it will take us three days to get there, and by the time we get there and locate them, it will be just in time to find out that they've skipped planet again. It will be much more efficient to find out where they will end up, and ambush them there." She paused reflectively. "I do wish that there was a way to get in contact with that assassin. He could be invaluable in providing us with their plans so we can know where and when to ambush them."   
She turned back to Bailey. "See if it can be done, and let me know as soon as that information from base comes in." Standing up to leave, she felt more satisfied then she had in a long time. Now she had a plan other than blindly chasing the girl all over the galaxy. She felt as if that she finally had found the key for finding them, and now nothing could stop her.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Lotah and Tian sat in a darkened theater, watching the holodrama play out in front of them. At least, that's what they were supposed to be doing, while they waited for their contact to arrive. Tian decided there was way too much talking and not enough action, and was busily examining the other occupants of the theater, none of whom seemed any more interested in the drama. Every now and then, one of the other couples would disengage long enough to glare at him until he cut off his stare. Lotah was keeping a wary eye on the door, occasionally shooting a nervous glance at the various exits.   
Partway through the show, a large(very large) human man sat down next to Lotah. He grinned at her in a way that was way too familiar. "Please," she said quietly. "I'm waiting for someone, and I need that seat."  
"Really, sweetie? I've got what you want right here." He smiled again, and put a hand on her arm. By no accident, he also prevented her from reaching for the knife at her belt. She shifted her weight in the seat, trying to get access to the knife. The man clamped down harder on her arm. "Now don't go getting mean, you're way too sweet for that."  
Enough. Lotah saw Tian looking at her worriedly from the chair to her right. In a moment, she reached down and pulled the knife hidden in her boot free of it's sheath. She pressed the knife against his ribcage. "Please," she said with false sweetness. "I'm waiting for someone."  
The man froze, then attempted to smile. "Come on, baby, put that little toy away and we'll have some fun." He started sweating.   
"I don't think so." Jamming the knife a little further into his side, Lotah said, "I really need you to vacate that seat now." She gave him another insincere smile. He looked at her face and quickly stood up, stubbing his toes on the seat as he retreated. Lotah slipped the knife back into her boot and took a discrete look around. No one seemed to have noticed her conversation.  
"Are you all right?" Tian asked quietly.   
Lotah shot him a look that said he should know better than to ask her stupid questions like that.   
Tian glanced down at her boot. "I didn't know you kept a knife there."   
"It's a holdout, not that big, but it does the job. I would keep a blaster there, if I used blasters. I'm surprised you don't have one."   
Tian gave her a smirk, then reached down and pulled a small holdout blaster out of his boot. It was very small, had no more than two or three shots in it. For Lotah, however, it had a different meaning. I should have seen that. I'm getting sloppy.  
Her self-accusations would have gone on, but a large - very large being sat down in the seat next to her. Whoever it was, it had a human face, but Lotah saw a number of bulges under it's cloak that couldn't be accounted for, assuming normal body type. So he was an alien, out to hide his identity. Lotah could sympathize with that.   
"That was well handled," said a mechanical voice - a translator.   
"You were watching me?" Lotah injected a hint of fear into her voice as she handed over a wad of credits. A tentacled hand crept out of his cloak and snatched up the bundle.   
"I've been watching you for the last three days, ever since you arrived."  
"Why?"  
"Word gets around. You should be more careful - toss around too much money with that Cat friend of yours, and you're liable to get yourself killed."   
Lotah made herself look afraid, although she wasn't particularly surprised. "What do you know?"  
"I know your name isn't NelleEwn any more than my name is Jabba."  
Lotah acknowledged that with a nod. He obviously didn't know her real name, or else he would have used that information. "Well, Virus, have you got the information of haven't you?"  
"You're looking for id?"   
"You're a regular genius."  
"Very funny. Even I don't know the world where the Malkite Poisoners get their supplies, but you might be able to find some more information on Pyre III. When you get there, ask for Vaplor. If you find him, the rest is up to you." The eyes on the face shifted back and forth. "I think you'd better get out of here now. Your boyfriend is back."  
Lotah looked to the entrance of the theater; although it was dark, she could see the man who had approached her standing with an employee of the theater. He was gesticulating wildly towards her, and the employee was obviously trying to calm him down.   
Without bothering to speak to Virus again, Lotah tapped Tian's knee, then pointed down the aisle. He looked, nodded, stood up and began creeping towards the side door. As Lotah followed him, she felt a slight pressure on her mind. It's Melana... Somehow Melana was using the Force to try to sense Lotah's thoughts. Lotah helpfully opened herself up to the Force and tried to send a mental picture of the man who was making all the trouble.   
Not knowing whether or not Melana had gotten any of her message, Lotah followed Tian out the door. It didn't really matter, either way. Melana and Tiros would wait for the feature to end, then would rendezvous with them back at the castle. Then, within a few hours, Lotah was sure, they'd be on their way to Pyre III.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
"So, where are we headed?" Tian asked as he settled into the pilot's seat. Tiros was busy next to him, punching coordinates into the navi-computer.   
"Pyre III," his father answered mildly.   
"I know that," Tian answered impatiently. "I got the information, remember? You said that you were there before I was born. What's it like?"  
"Strange world," Tiros answered good-naturedly, pleased that he was able to tease Tian. "It's one of seven moons that orbits the planet Pyre. The surface of Pyre is hot enough to melt solid deutronium, and Pyre III is a water world. 90% of the planet's surface is underwater, and most of the colonies of located on giant hovering islands. It used to be an Imperial protectorate..."  
"You mean it was a slave world," Tian interrupted.   
"Yes. They used the locals to mine the ore deposits underwater for their spaceships. Now it's under New Repulic rule - meaning that they are actually self-ruled, but the planet has joined the New Republic and has troops stationed in its cities."   
"So it could be under martial law, or it could just 'normal' again." Irony was heavy in his voice.  
"Could be just about anything," Tiros said as he throttled forward. The stars elongated around them as they entered hyperspace. "Ought to be interesting." He sat back in his seat. "So, how you and that girl getting along?" he asked, his expression wavering between a snide smile and a worried grimace on his face.   
"Dad!" Tian complained.   
"You two have been partners for almost every job since we started here, you must know as much about her as anyone." He lowered his voice. "Did you find out how she, ah, levitated that shirt when we first arrived?"  
"No, not really. She's weird sometimes."  
"Sometimes?"  
"Do you seriously know anyone who could be considered 'normal'?"  
Tiros laughed. "I guess not. So you still don't know if she's an alien or cyborg or anything."  
"No."  
They sat in uneasy silence for a minute. "You really like her, don't you?"  
"Dad!"  
"I'm serious! She's really got to you, hasn't she?"  
"So what if she has?" Tian replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "How about you and Lorb. Two of you been so chummy make people think *he's* your son instead of me." The words were said jokingly, but there was more than a hint of truth to them.   
"Hey," Tiros said, ruffling Tian's hair in a way that used to drive him nuts. Now it felt somewhat comforting. "Who'd believe that a freak like you and a handsome man like me were related, anyway?"  
"Ha! You should talk about freaks!" They were joking now - this was an old game for them.  
"Hey!" Lotah stuck her head through the door to the cockpit. "Melana wants to know if the two of you are planning to spend the next three days of travel sitting in the cockpit or if you're planning to come to the briefing?"   
"Oh, I think we'll come, maybe in a few days," Tian replied glibly.   
Lotah shook her head and walked back to the main room. After a few minutes, they got up and followed her.   
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Two and a half days later, the ship came out of hyperspace at the edge of the Pyre System. Tian and Tiros were already in the cockpit at the controls. "Scan the area for other ships. We're still a ways away from Pyre III."   
"You don't think there will be a problem, do you?" Tian activated the sensory equipment.   
"Nah, but you can never be too careful. Pick up anything?"  
"We're getting normal inquiries from an automated beacon, not much else... wait a second, I'm picking up a group of ships at the edge of the system, accelerating towards us, and fast. Let's see... 300,000 kilometers and closing. Eight, no ten of them... they're Uglies, and one bigger frieghter. They aren't responding to my hails... I don't think they're friendly."  
"Really, what gave you that idea?" Tiros hit the in-ship com system, and yelled, "Everybody strap in, we're about to be under attack!" The com was immediately filled with voices - Kenneth asking questions, Melana demanding to know what was going on, and Lotah telling them both to be quiet so that Tian and Tiros could concentrate. He sound on the com abruptly went dead.   
"Are the shields up?"  
"Yup."  
"Are you sure?" Tian ignored that question - his father always got rude when he was nervous.   
"I'm taking evasive action." After so many years flying ships in the lanes, Tian knew without looking that the pirates - that's what they had to be, no one else would be out here in the middle of nowhere - would try to set up a net. Once he was cornered, they would pummel his shields until they collapsed and then board the ship. So I'll just have to make sure that they can't net us. He flipped the ship in a roll, to see how they pirates would react.   
Several of the ships stopped in their positions relative to the ship, while the rest continued in a formation that would have surrounded the ship. But when the few ships paused, that left some gaping holes in the trap. Tiros saw it, too. "There!" he shouted triumphantly, pointing. Tian was already swinging the ship around, and felt the pull as the inertial compensators couldn't keep up with the maneuver. Don't think an old ship like this was meant to do this sort of thing.   
The ship rocked from an impact. "They're firing at us!" Tiros yelled as if surprised. "How the hell are they going to collect any loot if they blow us out of the sky?" All the while he was checking his instruments. "We've lost some power to the starboard shields, that was only a glancing blow, we were lucky. I'm compensating..." Another shot rocked the ship. "Damn it! Can't anyone on this damn ship do anything without being told?" He hit the com. "Someone man the guns! Damn it!" he cried again as the ships, seeing their quary about to escape the trap, fired again.   
The hasty shots missed in front of them, but not by much. There were a few more agonizing seconds until Lorb reported from the first gun tower. A shot raced out from the ship, narrowly missing one of the Uglies. A second later Melana reported from the second gun tower. Tian continued to keep the ship jumping from one side to the other, trying to evade the blasts of the other ships while Tiros kept the shields running and Melana and Lorb kept firing on their pursuers. They hit a few of the Uglies, either killing them completely or knocking them out of this fight.   
It wasn't enough. Tian saw it in the first few seconds of the fighting. They were hopelessly out numbered, out-gunned, and were being out-flown. Tian cursed when he realized this, and increased his efforts at keeping them in one piece.   
A particularly strong hit rocked the ship, and there was the sound of explosions from the back of the ship. Tiros hit the com. "What happened?!"  
"Rear shields blew," came Lotah's tense voice. "Kenneth and I am trying to patch them back together, but at best you'll only have partial power."  
"Get on it," Tiros snapped, and hit the com button again. "Don't show them our tail," he instructed.   
Easier said than done. Tian came to a dead stop for a fraction of a second, then flipped the ship around and headed straight for his former pursuers. They all veered off as he approached, ducking away as they were fired on.   
But all these tactics were just buying them a little time. They were still too far out from the planet to expect any assistance, and the swarm of Uglies surrounding them made running to hyperspace an impossibility.   
A shot passed overhead and struck one of the Uglies. It disintegrated in a brilliant explosion as it's engines lost containment. "Where the hell did that come from?" Tiros demanded. "I thought I told you to tag all of them!"  
"I did!" Tian shouted back, but he checked the instruments. There was no doubt about it - where there had been only ten ships before there were now over twenty. We're dead.   
Then there was the crackle of static over the inter-ship com system, then a voice. "Hunter Leader of the New Republic to personal yacht Cahi. Come in, Cahi. Please respond." There was more static.   
"We're the Cahi," came Lorb's voice over the com. "Answer them."  
Tiros hit the com as another of the Uglies evaporated under laser fire. "Cahi to Hunter Leader, we read you." One last Ugly exploded before the remaining pirates decided to flee, jumping into hyperspace perilously close to the X-wings and their own main ship. The main ship jumped a few seconds later on an identical course.   
"Cahi, are you damaged?"  
Tian glanced at the controls. They had completely lost the rear shield, and only had partial power to the sub-light engines. "We're damaged, but we can make it to Pyre III."  
"Thank you, Hunter Leader."  
"You're welcome." And with this, ten of the X-wings peeled off on a course that would parallel the course the pirates had taken. The other two dropped into flanking positions on either side of the Cahi.  
Melana's voice came over the com. "What's happened?"  
"Some of the New Republic's forces showed up and blasted some of those pirates. Two of the X-wings stayed to guide us in and insure a quick landing."  
"What's the damage?" Lorb asked.  
"We still don't have that rear shield, and we've lost 57% of the power to our sub-light engines."  
"But the main computer is all right?"  
"Sure."  
"Good." Lorb let out a sigh of relief that could be heard over the com.  
"Melana, since when are we the Cahi?" Tiros asked grumpily. Now that they were out of danger, his bad attitude was slowly leaving, and he was returning to his normal personality.  
"Since Desrii. I got our identify beacon there, and filled in the last of the paperwork. We're officially the Cahi, a private yacht registered under three different names. I have the proper data to prove I'm all three of those people."  
"And you were planning to tell us when?"  
Tian suppressed a groan as Melana's voice became furious. The tension must be getting to her as well. "I do not have to tell you anything! You will stop questioning me, or you will both leave!" Then there was the sound of twisting metal, and the com went abruptly dead.   
"That was really smart," Tian commented sarcastically. "Why don't you just insult her heritage while you're at it?"  
Tiros growled an incomprehensible answer.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Several hours later, all six of them were standing in a hanger examining the damage to the Cahi. The rear of the ship was scarred with burn marks, and the engine had rotated slightly within it's housing. Lotah and Kenneth had been unable to fix the rear shields during the battle, and when Lorb examined it he announced that all of the delicate circuitry was fried and would have to be replaced. The com system in one of the gun turrets had been ripped out of the wall. As soon as they had arrived, Melana stormed out of the hanger without talking to anyone. She returned two hours later with a bluish liquid splattered on her hands. Tian hadn't asked her anything, and cleared out of the way when she marched up to the 'fresher.  
Unfortunately for them, mechanical devises of any type were in short supply on Pyre III, whose inhabitants used no machines at all in their daily lives. The only technology at all on the world was the remnants of the mines used by the Imperials, and the new equipment brought in by the tourist industry and the New Republic.  
"Well, I guess we'd better get started," Tiros said with a sigh. "Tian and I will go hunting for parts, although I'll be surprised if we can find anything on this blasted planet. Lorb, why don't you stay and see what you can do with that engine?"  
"Sure, I think we just lost a couple of connections, though when it came loose and started banging around in the housing. Shouldn't be that tough to get it back to full power. I'm going to reinforce the clamps that hold it in place, too, so it doesn't happen again. We've got supplies enough for that in the cargo bay."  
"I'm going to figure out who we're supposed to contact here," Lotah said firmly. "This place, on the surface, seems cleaner than anywhere else I've been, no real crime, no drug dealing, no nothing. But if there's anyone here that can help us, I'll find them." She turned towards the hatch of the ship, but Melana stopped her.  
"Wait..." she walked closer to Lotah and lowered her voice. "I want you to take Kenneth with you - even *he's* better than no backup."  
Skepticism showed plainly on Lotah's face. Melana ignored it, so Lotah said, "I'll do better alone, when I don't have to worry about him getting hurt."  
"Take him with you." Melana's tone was firm. She seemed to be dead-set on having Kenneth pair up with Lotah, no matter how ill conceived the idea was. She's still annoyed about the attack and what Tiros said, so she's taking it out on me, Lotah realized, and pledged to make the older man pay.   
"Kenneth..." Lotah raised her voice. "You're with me. Come on in to the bunk, I'll find some stuff for you to wear." Then, pausing on the ramp of the ship. "You're going to have to take off that coat."  
"My coat?" Kenneth paused, touching the dirty lab coat he always wore, regardless of weather, appearance, or any other factor they had as yet encountered.   
"Yes." Lotah didn't even try to keep the satisfaction out of her voice. It occurred to her that it was unfair to take out her frustrations with Melana on Kenneth, no more than it was fair for Melana to take out her frustrations on Lotah, but she didn't really care. Besides, he was going to have to take off the lab coat anyway - it was too conspicuous on a planet whose only visitors were wealthy vacationers and the sentinents who supplied the labor for the tourist industry. But I could have been a little more patient, or compassionate, or something, about him having to leave it behind. Who knows what it means to him? Even as she thought that, there was a nagging sensation at the back of her mind, like she was forgetting something, but she couldn't remember what.  
After trying to grasp the elusive memory for a moment, she gave up and headed into the spaceship. She was going to have to find something to make Kenneth look like a vacationer, or a worker, or anything that didn't resemble a clueless scientist from some distant planet. There had to be something there. She hoped.   
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
"Are you all right, Cahi?" Lorb asked.   
Cahi's face appeared on the main screen in the little room, unofficially dubbed by Lorb as the 'laser room.' "I'm all right." She looked worried. "Lorb, I'm scared. I thought I was going to die."   
"You're all right, nothing vital was damaged."  
"But what about next time? I'm going to be in a lot of danger, aren't I? What happens if someone makes a mistake and we're all blow out of existence? I've been running those sims that you guys got me, and I've got them down as perfectly as is possible, but Melana won't let me run the ship. You live beings don't trust your bodies to other people, why should I?"  
Lorb was silent for a minute. Then, quietly, "The only thing that I can say is that life isn't fair. And that's next to worthless."  
At that point Melana decided that she had been listening to this conversation long enough. "You know," she said, stepping into the room, "You could have tried asking me first."   
The shock on both Cahi's and Lorb's faces was almost enough to make Melana forget how insulted she had been a minute ago at their words. Almost. "Since when do you ask Lorb for favors?" When neither of them answered, she continued, righteous anger warming her cheeks. "Do I not own the ship?"   
Again neither of them answered for a few seconds. "You mean do you not own me!" Cahi almost shouted, startling Melana out of her rage. She hadn't known that a computer was capable of such emotion. It almost sounded as if she was alive, a real person. Then she remembered the anger she had felt just a few seconds ago. Guiltily she thought back to the exercises in control Master Skywalker had taught her. He would be very disappointed in her. She was disappointed in herself, as she examined her actions over the last few weeks. Over and over she saw herself giving in to the Hunt Lust. I should have known better.   
Cahi was still livid. "I may be made of metal instead of stupid bleeding flesh, but that doesn't mean I'm less real than you are! I've been really nice - I've waited for your permission to fly, even though it's my own body! Why should I wait..."  
"Enough," Melana interrupted her. Holding her hands up in front of her, Melana said, "I apologize for the insult to you. I don't want a slave, and I don't want to make you a slave." She took a deep breath. She's right, and she's earned this apology. Melana told herself. There's no shame in that, and no reason for anger, either. There was still a bit of gray around the edges of her vision from the Hunt Lust, but it could be controlled. She would accept no less from herself - to give in to anything as pointless as the Hunt Lust, even if it was natural, was beneath her. Again her face burned, but this time it was with shame at her weakness.   
"You can fly the ship as soon as we're done with this mission and not in danger anymore, away from anything that you might run into. Pick a navigational exercise, a practice one, and you can try running the ship for a while before we jump to hyperspace. For now, whenever there's any trouble, I want Tian or Tiros at the controls."  
"Why? You think I can't control myself?" Cahi's accusations went on for a few minutes. Melana waited quietly. Several times her vision began to blank out, but she refused to loose control and forced the grayness away. Finally, when Cahi ran out of accusations, or energy, or whatever it was that was keeping her going, Melana had herself under control and her reply formulated.  
"I don't think that you can't control yourself, but have you ever seen human parents when they and their offspring are threatened?"  
"Yes," Cahi replied, sounding somewhat sullen. "I've seen it in the holovids."  
"Haven't you seen the parents pick up their children and carry them away from the danger? It's not because they think their children are incompetent, or that the children aren't capable of walking by themselves, it just that the children haven't had the time to learn how to run efficiently. The parents are trying to protect their children so that they will have a chance to learn how to protect themselves and do everything for themselves. All right?"  
"You're not my parents."  
Melana held onto her rapidly fading patience, and held back her tongue. She tried reason one more time before both she and Cahi flew into another rage and started yelling at each other. If I don't try to kill her first. "I know I'm not your parents, but I'm the closest thing to a guardian that you have."  
"I don't need a guardian. I'm not a child."  
"You said that you consider yourself to be a child."  
"I said that Luke thought that I acted like a child. I'm really old."  
"Cahi, please, think about this. If you get shot up because you don't know all of your functions or what you're capable of, you're not the only one who will die. If you die, so does everyone else here, including Lorb. If you agree to let either Tian or Tiros fly when there's danger, I'll see to it that you can fly later."  
Cahi still didn't look happy, but she said, "I guess so. I don't want to kill anyone, I just want to be able to be myself."   
Melana found that when she didn't submit to the Hunt Lust, it went away faster. Already the fog at the edges of her eyes was disappearing, and she no longer had to fight to keep her temper. "Thank you," she answered, inclining her head slightly.   
Cahi froze for a fraction of a second, then nodded back. A second later she disappeared. Melana turned around to look at Lorb, who had been quietly standing in a corner the whole time, obviously trying not to get caught between Melana and Cahi. "I want you to make sure that she knows exactly what she can and can't do, and that Tian and Tiros are flying, until the end of this mission. Got it?" Lorb nodded, although there was a funny expression on his face, like he was about to laugh. Melana frowned as she realized what he was probably thinking. "And you will never tell a*nyone* that I was arguing about the parenting methods of humans with a computer program, understood?"   
A small chuckle escaped from Lorb's lips as he answered, "Yes, mam... ah, Melana."  
Her ire roused, Melana spun and marched from the room. Surprisingly, she did not feel the need to attack Lorb for bothering her. She never used to have such problems understanding her own emotions - what was happening to her?  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
"This is unbelievable," Randel muttered, staring at the viewscreen, watching the progress of a small shuttle. It was slowly - very slowly - crawling towards the ship's docking bay. At this rate it would be another fifteen minutes before it docked. Any competent pilot could dock a shuttle that size in the huge bay in less than two minutes. Only a few hours ago Randel had received coded orders to divert from her course to the planet where they thought the girl had been to pick up an agent at coordinates in the middle of an uninhabited system, lightyears from any hyperspace corridors. She'd barely been able to make the rendezvous in time, and then her contact was late. He'd arrived nearly fifteen minutes late, and now was taking his sweet time to dock.  
Randel was barely able to keep herself from pacing back and forth across the bridge. She looked again at the shuttle, which had moved less than a thousand kilometers in thirty seconds. "Unbelievable," she muttered again. She'd been so close this time - she might have even been able to catch the girl before she jumped planet again, if she hadn't had to divert to pick up this agent, whoever he was. Now the girl would escape again, and she would be held responsible. She glanced once more at the viewscreen, and registered the almost nonexistent progress of the shuttle. "I'll be in my quarters. Order him to go there at once as soon as he's docked," she snarled to her first officer, who saluted. He was a good man, totally committed to the Empire, with the right attitude about inferior species and the Rebles, and who knew how to handle almost anything. She supposed she'd loose him soon. Top officers like that were awarded ships of their own very quickly - there were far too few of them to waste under competent commanders. Randel herself had been a first officer for less than two months before being promoted to Captain. Harles had been her first officer for close to two months now - ever since her last first officer was killed in that ridiculous brawl - he'd probably be promoted as soon as this mission was over.  
After stomping back to her room, Randel passed the fifteen minutes until the shuttle docked rereading her orders.  
Captain -   
You are ordered to go to the following spatial coordinates to rendezvous with a special agent who will assist you in search for girl. He is a top operative and is to be given all due respect. His orders take top priority. Destroy these instructions as soon as contact is made.  
There was no indication as to who had sent it, but the code and manner in which the message had been transmitted told her enough. It had been routed through some out-of-the-way planet with a small Imperial force holding the only port. They controlled all traffic on and off the planet, mostly slavers who came to pick up the inhabitants. There were a number of slaves from that planet on her own ship, as a matter of fact. They did the work usually reserved for droids, and did some common maintenance to noncritical systems. The fact that it had been routed through there meant that no one was to know about it, which meant that this agent was important.   
Eighteen minutes after she'd returned to her quarters, the com in her room beeped. Harles voice said, "Captain, we have the agent on board. He is on his way to your quarters now."  
"Acknowleged," she replied. She took the flimsy she'd decoded the message on, placed it in the middle of her floor, and fired her blaster at it. It was instantly reduced to a pile of melted plastic and a black stain on her floor. It stunk, but the slaves could clean it up as soon as she was done here. And firing the blaster helped her take out some of her pent-up frustration.  
Less than a minute later, her door opened. No knock, no request for permission to enter, the door just slid opened and a human male stepped through. He was small, several centimeters shorter than Randel herself, with black hair and small, dark eyes that took in the Captain and her entire room in a glance. He wore civilian clothes, and had no visible weapons. "You must be Captain Randel," he said, deliberately looking away when he said that, as if to dismiss her as of no consequence. He also didn't salute, but Randel reigned in her anger. She had no idea of his rank in comparison to hers, and she could get in a lot of trouble by insulting a superior officer.  
"And you are..." she said with a determined smile on her face.  
"Pol."  
"Pol," she repeated, hating him for forcing her into the position where she'd have to ask him for his rank. It put her at a disadvantage, and she hated being at a disadvantage. "What is your rank?"  
"I have no rank," he said after a pause, long enough to tell her that he didn't follow her orders. "I am independent from the system. You need not call me sir, but my orders take precedence over yours as far as the search for this girl is concerned. I will be giving you aid in your search for her."  
With an effort, Randel managed not to grind her teeth. "I do not remember requesting aid. My people were taking care of the situation. We might have had her by now if we hadn't had to divert to pick you up." She deliberately did not say 'sir', even though he'd given her the option.  
He didn't seem to notice the slight. "If you had the situation taken care of, my services would not have been necessary. Need I remind you how important this girl is to our cause?"  
Randel didn't need to be reminded. This girl was the strongest of all of the Force-sensitive they had their eyes on, and what's more, she had some training and knew how to use her power. Once she was turned, she would be a mighty weapon for the Empire, one that was desperately needed in these times, where there weren't even enough stormtroopers to properly man the ship, where they were so depleted that they had to bring those slaves along to do the routine chores.  
"And what services can you provide?" she asked, practically snarling.  
He pointed his hand at the desk where the blaster still rested. He frowned at it, and after a moment, the blaster wiggled slightly. A second later it jumped off the desk and flew through the air to his hand. "I have some of the abilities that are so strong in the girl. Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough to serve the Empire as well as she could, but I can do my part in finding the girl and turning her. I am an expert in breaking minds and remaking them."  
Despite her anger, Randel felt a shiver run down her spine. She had no doubt that he was an expert in both those fields, and understood the implied threat if she didn't follow orders and give him his due.   
He saw her reaction although she tried to hide it, and nodded in satisfaction. "By now she has jumped planet again. I will need all of the information you have on her at once. I will study the facts and meditate on the way to Retryv."  
"Retryv?" Randel asked. She had never heard of the place, not surprising in a galaxy of this size.   
"A small mining colony on the ice-moon of Veta. There is a talented man there who has, so far, evaded several assassins. I have orders to locate and eliminate him before he moves again."  
"Again?" Randel asked, since she couldn't order him out of her quarters.  
"Like the girl, he's a wanderer. He is aware that several people have tried to kill him, but does not yet know the reason, or of his power. He just considers himself extremely lucky, and does not know that the Force is responsible."  
"The Empire thinks he may contact the Jedi?" Randel all but spat the last word - it was practically an epithet among the civilized members of the Empire.  
"No. He is an old man, well into his fifth decade, without any family. He has no reason to go to the New Republic, but any with the power who are not under our control must be thought of as enemies, and eliminated."  
Randel nodded. It was a difficult business, hunting down those who were contaminated with the ability to sense the Force, especially when they were not aware of it themselves. Sometimes it took years to find and kill a single being. For the most part, they were unaware of their powers, so it was easy to kill them, it was the finding in the first place that was so difficult. Randel had never actually seen any evidence of special powers in those she had been sent to kill, but she didn't question her orders. Whether or not there was such a thing as the Force, and whether or not it did give special powers to a select few, it was her job to carry out her orders. Personally Randel had doubted that there really was a Force, but Pol's demonstration had left her belief shaken.   
"But isn't the girl more important?" she asked. It was important to hunt down any with the gift, but one old man who wasn't aware of his ability was hardly much of a threat. It was much more important to get to the girl before she became too strong, and had to be killed herself.  
"This man has eluded us for over thirty years," Pol said, his voice seething with anger. "I myself have been seeking him for five. Because he taps into the Force so seldom it is hard to sense him through it. He will be killed, and then we will find this child who has managed to elude you for so long."  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. VII

Lotah did her best to disassociate herself with Kenneth. Suspecting that his actions on the planet would be less than circumspect, she had dressed him like a tourist with very little taste, or good sense. It seemed that he fit that image better than she would have liked. As they wandered around Dalle, the main tourist city on Pyre III, Kenneth was wide-eyed, staring and pointing at every little thing that caught his attention. After a few attempts at urging him to be a little less noticeable, Lotah purchased a large hat that hid her face from casual notice, and followed Kenneth around. It was clear that she wasn't going to get any serious work done with him around, so she might as well enjoy herself for the afternoon.   
  
Despite the fact that she had seen hundreds of planets in her life, she had spent most of those visits in cheep hotels or roaming the streets of the commercial districts. Only in the last year, since she became free, had she seen some of the more beautiful aspects of the galaxy. It was quite a different experience to travel the galaxy when you were looking at something other than the ugly faces of dealers, when you were looking for something other than just the best deal.   
  
It was a beautiful city, she had to admit. There were giant aquatic animals living under the surface of the planet, and apparently some of them were hunted for their shells. She could barely contain her own astonishment when they passed a large building that seemed to have been constructed solely out of the shell of some huge animal. It spiraled high into the air, showing many iridescent colors in the sun. Pink, purple, blue, and several creamy shades, Lotah marveled at the way they seemed to mesh seamlessly, streaking all the way up and down the building. As they neared the center of the city, there were less and less building of traditional construction and more of these shell-houses.   
  
Finally they passed what looked like a souvenir store made out of one of the shells. Lotah called out to Kenneth and stepped inside. Once there, she found that the spirals that showed on the outside of the building were formed from the inside. The rooms were one long line, separated only by curtains and short ramps. The floors, however were straight, not slanted, as Lotah would have expected them to be, a fact which surprised her until she examined the floors, and discovered that they had been carved out of the shell itself to make them horizontal. If it hadn't been done, the entire building would have been one sloping floor, twisting upward into the sky. Curious, she followed the rooms up to the top of the shell. There was a small door with a bar across the opening. Looking over the edge, Lotah saw that it was a straight shaft going all the way down to the ground. She pressed the button marked 'down' and pulled the gate out of her way. Stepping fearlessly into the dark shaft, she slowly descended to the ground again, her fall cushioned by repulsorlifts.   
  
She stood outside the building, watching the way the purple clouds reflected off the surface of the shell, and wondering what sort of animal could possibly have used that shell for a home. It could have easily housed several hundred humanoids, and the shell was almost four meters thick at the base. Then Kenneth came running out, demanding to know why she had left him in the store. Sighing, Lotah suggested they go and watch one of the shows on the surface of the water. He agreed, and they walked the rest of the way to the center of the city, where the only cheap, reliable transportation from the city to the surface of the planet was located.  
  
This is reliable?! Lotah stared dubiously at the long spiraling path of interlocking shells and another substance that Lotah couldn't identify. It spiraled down, down, out of sight. Lotah had never been afraid of heights, but the view gave her a moment of vertigo until she controlled herself. "We're walking down that?" Kenneth demanded, sounding somewhat panicked. Actually, Lotah was feeling much the same way, but she wasn't about to admit that she and Kenneth had *anything* in common.   
  
"It's not so bad," she answered, trying to convince herself. For a second she was tempted to just head back to the hanger. It was obvious that she wasn't going to get anything accomplished with Kenneth around, but she wasn't anxious to go back to the ship and tell Melana that. The woman was in a temper, and Lotah really didn't want to get on her bad side. Especially since she knows something about the Force. Maybe if I get her to trust me, she'll tell me where she learned about it. I wonder if she ever met Op? Besides, Lotah hadn't seen anything that vaguely resembled a criminal underworld. How were they supposed to contact a criminal if she couldn't even figure out how to reach them? Come on, admit it. You don't just want to get Melana to trust you to figure out where she learned about the Force, you want her to like you too, and you don't want to go back without completing the mission she gave you.   
  
Lotah tried to ignore her thoughts. They were dangerous - she couldn't afford to have friends - that was the surest way to get bogged down in one place. And to be stuck in one place was to be caught. "Let's go," she suggested, and headed for one of the large arches that marked the top of the spiral platform.   
  
A nicely dressed representative of one of the local merchants was handing out flimsy brochures on the platform and the shows on the surface.   
  
They had barely gotten ten meters onto the platform when Lotah realized it was moving. The entire structure was slowly shifting up and down, the individual pieces rattling against each other. Lotah looked at Kenneth, who seemed completely oblivious, his face buried in the flimsy. "Isn't it fascinating?" he babbled excitedly. "Can you imagine all the effort and planning that must have gone into constructing this? It says here that it was designed so that each of the interlocking pieces of shell and coral can move back and forth as much as a centimeter in each direction without falling apart."  
  
"Why is it moving?" Lotah asked through clenched teeth. She was feeling nauseous, and having a hard time doing anything other than concentrating on not throwing up.   
  
"The ocean, of course. This pathway goes all the way down to the surface, and even in this secluded area, the swells there can get to be several hundred feet high. The platform was designed so that the movement at the bottom could be absorbed all the way throughout the structure. Of course, the movement near the source - the bottom, it gets a lot more noticeable."  
  
"You mean it's going to get worse than this?!"  
  
"Yes, I thought that was understood. Is there a problem?"  
  
"No problem," Lotah muttered, pushing her fist into her own stomach. Sometimes that helped with nausea. "Let's just get down there."   
  
It took them the better part of an hour to make it down to the surface. Kenneth chatted, mostly to himself, for most of that hour. Lotah tried to disassociate herself from him and the world. By the time they reached the surface, the platform was shifting up and down several feet every few seconds. It was getting harder for them to keep their balance, and they both clung to the handrails running down the center of the platform. "Did you realize that last year almost 30 people fell off this platform?" Kenneth asked. Despite the heaving of the sea, he had managed to retain the flimsy, and was still referring to it every few minutes for some piece of obscure information.   
  
"Really?" Lotah couldn't wait to get off the platform. Somewhere back up the platform she had thrown up, off the edge, and still had a bad taste in her mouth. It could be worse... she tried to reason with herself. When she had thrown up, there had been a shout from somewhere below her. I could be that person, whoever it is.   
  
Suddenly they were standing at the end of the platform. Kenneth stopped to read another line from the flimsy, but Lotah immediately stepped off the platform onto a floating deck. Looking around, Lotah realized that the entire floating island was one huge performance center, rising several thousand feet above the water and a few hundred below it. With a sickening lurch, the entire northern side of the island rose up in the air for a few seconds, then crashed back down to the water. Lotah, who had been expecting reasonably solid ground at the end of the platform was left with only one consolation: at least Kenneth would stop talking now.  
  
"Come on!" Kenneth shouted over the crash of the waves. "The next show is starting in ten minutes. If we miss it, it'll be a few hours before the next one."  
  
Lotah didn't want to stay any longer than necessary, so she hurried after Kenneth. They paid a nominal fee, and found themselves seated a few hundred feet above the surface of the water, staring at a huge, circular pool at the center of the island. "What, exactly, are we watching?" she asked, trying not to think about how they were moving, up and down, up and down, up and down...  
  
"The show, of course! It's all fascinating, isn't it?"  
  
For a second Lotah's annoyance canceled out her nausea. "Kenneth! What *is* the show? Who's in it?"  
  
"The natives, of course. They're an aquatic species, but they can come up to the surface. They're going to be doing some sort of dance in the circle. Actually, there are seats down there below the surface of the water, so that you can see the show from underwater, where it was conceived. Those are supposed to be the best seats, but they're very expensive."   
  
"Oh." Suddenly there was a loud trumpeting noise from the center of the pool. One lone figure was neck-deep in the water, holding a large shell to it's lips. Then, from out of the depths, a dozen more figures appeared. Then another dozen. And another. This process continued until there were over a hundred of the natives in the pool. Then the show started.  
  
Just like Kenneth had said, the show consisted of a sort of dance, where all of the performers swam in intricate configurations around each other, forming sort of a moving, living image. Although Lotah didn't usually enjoy theatrical productions, she had to admit that the show was entertaining, and somewhat fascinating, as she tried to keep track of just one of the performers as it moved through the water. She tried to figure out how they had known what the show would look like from above, until she realized that the show wasn't meant to be seen from above. She was only seeing the top part of the entire effect. The idea of coordinating a show with that many people doing so many complex motions at once was staggering.   
  
The natives - she hadn't heard a name for them yet - were definitely aquatic, although humanoid. Their arms were smoother than a normal human's, and there was a web of skin stretching from their arms down to their sides, apparently used for maneuvering. The legs had been fused together, and there was a large fin at the end for locomotion. They were a uniform blue-green in color, although darker than the sea around them. She wondered at the seeming incongruity.  
  
Almost an hour later, the show ended, and Lotah rose immediately, not to applaud, but to leave. "Come on Kenneth." She couldn't wait to get off the damn floating island. "We'd better get back up to the city. It'll be getting dark soon." Actually her night vision was excellent, for a human, but she was willing to say just about anything to get off the island.  
  
"So soon?"  
  
"Didn't you listen at all to the briefing on this planet? A day is only 10 standard hours long!"  
  
"Oh." He slowly stood, but didn't move. Instead, as the performers rose to the surface one last time, he cheered wildly, then clapped enthusiastically. He shot Lotah an expectant glance.  
  
Lotah clapped politely for a minute, then they both left. He was babbling something about the show, but Lotah ignored him. When they reached the platform, Lotah headed for the air-lift. There was no way that she was going to walk all the way back up that horrible path. Ignoring Kenneth's shouts, she stepped into the shaft of glassine that protected the lift and was immediately propelled upward, although slowly. The shaft was made up of several pieces, so that it could bend slightly as the island moved up and down, but it didn't affect the smooth upward motion, so Lotah was all right.   
  
At about the midway point of her journey, Lotah glanced upward at the floating city. There was a strange cluster of lights at the center of the underside of the city - a small cluster of buildings, perched upside down. She frowned - there was something wrong with that. Who in their right mind would put a settlement on the *underside* of a city, unless they were really short on living space. Or unless they didn't want to be noticed.   
  
She could have smacked herself. *Of course* the residents didn't want to be noticed! All this time she'd been looking for a criminal underworld, and here it actually was! Idiot. I'm just stupid. By then they were almost at the top of the lift, and Lotah carefully memorized the location of the settlement in relation to the regular city. She could still hear Kenneth talking to himself further down the tunnel. At least they had gotten *something* accomplished today.  
  
--------------------------------  
  
Tian was annoyed. There were problems with the ship - for some reason Lorb refused to touch the main computer, so all of the computations involved with hooking up the new systems to the computer were taking six times as long as they should have. There were problems with his father - Tiros was annoyed that his son was being so unreasonable about a girl, and he wouldn't listen to any of Tian's arguments that he was trying to get information. And to top it all off, Tian was now having problems with Lotah.   
  
The girl had come back with Kenneth just as night fell on the city. She announced that there was some sort of city attached to the bottom of the regular city, and that she was going down there tomorrow. Alone. Then, ignoring the fact that everyone was busy working on the ship, she went into the bunk and went to sleep. This morning she had woken up looking terrible, and Tian had asked her if she was all right. Suddenly she turned into Miss Professional again, informing him that she was fine, if it was any of his business.   
  
Everyone hates me. Tian kicked at a bit of metal lying on the floor. It had been cut off the ship yesterday, off the rear shielding system as they struggled to get it out of the ship. Damn ships, old, unreliable, every time we put in a new piece, one of the old ones breaks. He didn't know where Melana had gotten the ship, but whatever she had paid, it was too much. All of the individual components came from different sources, and everything had been patched together using not much more than a couple rolls of tape. Now that they were getting decent parts in there, things should stick together better, but in the meantime they were just waiting for something else to break.   
  
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Tian encountered a few spare credits, left over from when he went hunting for some extra replacement parts, in case the ship broke down again. Which it definitely will. Shooting a glance around the hanger, he satisfied himself that they were as finished as they were ever going to get. Might as well look around this stupid city while I'm here. Without a backward glance, he strode out the door.   
  
The city was interesting enough, but Tian had seen enough strange cities in his life that this one didn't seem to be anything special. Eventually he found himself in a common souvenir shop, looking not at the more exotic and memorable items, but at some common ones that could be found in almost any such shop in any area of the galaxy. His eye was caught by a biography on Luke Skywalker, telling of his 'rise from humble beginnings to becoming a hero of the New Republic and the galaxy!' There was also an account of the battle for Coruscant, no doubt with the facts bent just a little to show the New Republic in the best light. Even so, it might be interesting. Anything was better than listening to his father's stories again, or, even worse, listening to his father's grumbles about 'impetuous youth.' He bought a copy of each of the two holo's, and, checking his chronometer, headed back to the ship.   
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Lotah didn't return until the next morning. Her hair, which had been a uniform dark black when she left, was now a deep brown striped with golden highlights. She had also changed clothes, and there was a small burn on her left arm. Tian decided not to ask questions. Melana, on the other hand, immediately asked what happened.  
  
"Bad luck," Lotah muttered, gritting her teeth as she tied a bandage around her arm. "Damn rotten luck. But I got the information we need, so I don't have to go back down there."  
  
"What bad luck?" Lorb asked, entering the main room. He had been holed up in that little closet again. He seemed to spend and inordinate amount of time in there.   
  
"I was in one of the intermediate levels - crime ridden, but still monitored by the authority. Some idiot picked the bar I was in to hold up, and someone called the authority. They arrested the real criminal, and then decided to check the I.D.'s of everyone else in the bar. I almost got run over by the flood of people trying to get out of there." She twisted her arm and head around to look at the bandage. "Got this when someone knocked a hot dish on me. Buncha idiots. Anyone who's on the lamb should have at least one false identity with them," she muttered. Then she looked up, realizing how odd her comments must have sounded to the rest of the crew. "Anyway, I got out of there with the rest of them. Authority couldn't have caught more than a couple dozen of the whole lot."  
  
"You got the information?" Melana asked.  
  
"Yup." Lotah didn't elaborate.  
  
"So, do you know where the id's from?"   
  
"Yeah, but there's a problem. The Narna I talked to was a deserter. An *Imperial* deserter. He didn't know the location of the planet where the id's from, but he let me know where I could get in contact with another former Imperial. He was fairly low in the system, but the whole thing's tied up with the slave trade and the Malkite Poisoners."  
  
"Imps?" Tiros asked, paling slightly. Tian wondered if this job was over. His father usually didn't mess around when it came to Imps. There was still an Imperial bounty on his head, and anything that might bring attention to him was always avoided.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Melana seemed to be digesting that information. "Even now, there is a large Imperial slave trade. What does that have to do with the id?"  
  
"We thought the planet was controlled by the Malkite Poisoners, which was bad enough, but this is worse. It means that the planet where the id's from is probably an Imperial slave world. That makes it very, very difficult to get anything on or off the planet. Also, the fact that the Poisoners were willing to work with the Imps at all means that the Imps must have a monopoly on the poison in question. And neither group sells their secrets cheaply."  
  
"Who on your planet would have enough money or resources to get poisons from the Imps or the Poisoners?" Lorb asked. "I thought you said that almost no one goes off-planet, except as slaves."  
  
"I don't know," Melana looked worried. "My people do not, traditionally, use resources from off-planet. I can't think of anyone in my Clan who could possibly have gotten the id."  
  
"Could you be wrong?" Tiros asked Kenneth.   
  
Kenneth shook his head. "I'm positive." He paused, then said in a worried voice, "Maybe we should stop now. Messing with the Empire can get you killed. It sounds like they're being sort of secretive here. I think we should stop while our heads are still intact."  
  
Melana shook her head angrily. "I am going to find my mother's killer. Anyone who does not wish to stay with us may either stop here or at the next planet on our trip. We're cleared to leave in four hours. I want everyone's decision before then."  
  
Kenneth stood up and walked to the ramp, mumbling something about a souvenir. Lotah also stood, but instead of leaving right away, she stared at Tian and Tiros thoughtfully for a minute. Then she turned and walked out the door after Kenneth.   
  
Tiros turned to his son, and putting both feet up on the table, crossed both hands in front of his ship. Tian braced himself for his father's announcement that they were leaving right away. Sometimes it bothered him that he was an adult and yet most of his life was still dictated by his father. So he was shocked when Tiros asked, "What do you think?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You want to stay with them or put off at the next port?"  
  
"You're asking me?!"  
  
"Yes, I am asking you."  
  
"Well," Tian struggled to compose his thoughts. "I sort of thought that we would be leaving at the next port, because you don't want to draw attention to yourself, especially with Imps." Out of habit he glanced around to see if anyone was listening.   
  
Tiros, seeing his glance, said, "It doesn't matter, Melana ran a background check on all of us. She knows."  
  
"Oh. So she wouldn't be too annoyed if we left." Tian paused, then continued, "Personally, I would like to stay on."  
  
"That girl?"  
  
"Among other things." Tian had long since given up trying to convince Tiros that he wasn't interested. "Also, we've been to more planets in this one job than in the last five. I'm getting a lot of experience flying something closer to a fighter than a freighter, which might help later..." he paused again, not wanting to talk about joining up.   
  
"It's all right, I know you don't plan to be driving freighters for the rest of your life. Anything else?"  
  
"We're making good money," Tian continued. "But I don't want to stay if it means we'll get caught. Nothing's worth that."  
  
Tiros scratched his chin, staring thoughtfully at Tian, who wondered what was going on. This wasn't the way they acted around each other, not since he could remember. It had always been Tiros making all the decisions and Tian following along. This sudden change was somewhat frightening.  
  
"You're old enough now," Tiros suddenly said, as if he had come to a decision.  
  
"Old enough for what?" Tian asked.  
  
"Old enough to know the truth. About staying clear of the Imps, and the Rebellion, for that matter." Tiros glanced up, as if waiting for an interruption. There was none. Tian wouldn't have interrupted his father for anything right now.   
  
"The truth is, that we haven't quite stayed completely neutral in the war. Since before you were born, starting a few years after I was drummed out of the Navy, I was a runner for the Rebellion, or the New Republic, whichever you prefer. I wasn't actively a member of the Rebellion - never really trusted, I don't even know the names of my contacts - but I would do jobs for them every now and then. Sometimes it was a shipment of weapons, hidden in other cargo. Other times it was info, delivered during a legitimate run. I never even say most of the stuff. Anyway, after you were born, I cut down on the jobs I'd do. They didn't need my kind so much anyway, by then.   
  
"I always told you to stay clear of politics, especially the Imps, because of my history, but that's only half the truth. The whole truth is that if my history - our history - was examined to closely, it might reveal the ties to the Rebellion, at which point both our lives would be worth less than nothing. Stay away from the Imps, because they're suspicious of everything, and stay away from the Rebellion, because that might draw the Imps' attention."   
  
"Why are you telling me this now?" Tian was having trouble believing all that he was hearing.  
  
"A few reasons. The first is that it's safer now - Coruscant is in the hands of the New Republic, and Imperial Intelligence is spread all over the universe, so there isn't as much danger of having the Imps be coordinated enough to find us or recognize us. Second," he paused, and grinned, "you're grown up. I know I've been treating you like a child for a long time now, probably too long, but it's hard for me to let go of things. But you've done well during this job, and the ones before. So you deserve the truth."  
  
"Thank you," he said, unable to think of anything else to say. Suddenly he was an adult! Something occurred to him. "The incident with the Sunset, was that coincidence, like you said? Did you know there were Rebels aboard?"  
  
Tiros nodded, pleasure evident on his face. "Good thinking. I knew that there was someone important on board, although I don't know who, and I probably didn't see them."  
  
"We went under a fake name for a year after that."  
  
"I was panicked that they would find us. Find you. That you might die without ever knowing why." Then Tian realized the other reason why Tiros had finally told him - in case something ever happened, to either of them.   
  
"So will we be staying?" Tian still didn't know what to think about what he had been told, so he returned to the issue at hand.   
  
"If you want. I've been wanting to get in another hit on the Imps for a while, now that they're hurting. But I'm leaving it up to you this time."   
  
Tian fell silent. He had never thought about making a decision for the both of them before. How had his father done it all these years? "I think we should stay on, at least for now. I think we could probably get out later if we have to. What do you think?"  
  
"That's all right with me," Tiros smiled broadly.   
  
"Dad, I think that I need to think about this for a while. I'll be back before we have to leave."  
  
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Tian was back in time, and their departure from the planet was uneventful. After they were safely in hyperspace, with his father checking over the new systems they'd installed, Tian went to the bunk.  
  
Lotah was already in the bunk, reading a flimsy. When he came in, however, she put it down and sat up. "Are you guys staying with us or are you getting off at the next port?"  
  
For a fraction of a second Tian's heart jumped as he wondered whether she really cared if he was staying or going. Then his cynical side took over. She probably just wants to know if she's going to have to find someone else to take our place. "We're staying on. Are you?" he carefully kept the hope out of his voice.   
  
"I'm staying on."  
  
"You seemed kind of upset before. Any particular reason you're staying on?"  
  
"Do I need a special reason?"  
  
"No, just curious."  
  
"It's my own business."  
  
"Fine!" Tian was on the verge of getting up and walking out of this room too. Things just weren't going right for him today. He stood up to leave.  
  
"Wait! I'm sorry." That's a first, he thought cynically, but when he saw the look on her face, he calmed down. She looked scared - not just scared, angry too.   
  
"What?"  
  
"I...it's just when...the...the end of our journey is probably a slave world."  
  
"So? So are any number of worlds. Why..." then he trailed off, seeing what she was talking about. He could have hit himself. Lotah had been a slave, so no doubt it hurt her considerably to see others in the same condition. He could have hit himself for being so dense. "I see. Sorry. But what good will it do you? I mean, you can't exactly take on an entire planet by yourself."  
  
"It's not just that. It's..." She stood up and began pacing the room, back and forth, back and forth. She finally stopped in front of the mirror. For once she wasn't wearing any sort of disguise, and the violet in her eyes and the streaks in her hair stood out against the light blue shirt she was wearing.   
  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He wanted more then anything right now to find out more about her, more about her past, but not if it meant alienating her for good.  
  
"No, I... I... I *want* to tell you." It sounded as if that admission was a very big deal, at least for her. "I... I was taken from my home world before I turned three. I don't remember much, but I remember other people who look like me. They've got to be out there somewhere. So if there's a chance that this place would be my home, I have to check it out. Anything I can do to hurt the slaving industry is just extra incentive." She turned to look at him, and he was surprised at how young she looked. Ever since the first day, she had been cold, but very good at what she did. He had never imagined that she could look so vulnerable.  
  
"You... you were only three? Who raised you?" All he could think about was his father, who had taken him on despite the fact that his mother was a hoar. Who had raised him, despite the burden of bringing a child along. Who was still there for him, even now that he was grown.  
  
"My master."   
  
He was horrified - growing up where the only figure you had to look up to owned you? She saw his face and interpreted the expression. "It wasn't so bad. My first master was kind enough to children, and he taught me a lot about the galaxy. There wasn't much love, but he wasn't cruel, either." He wondered who had been cruel to her, because it was obvious that she had been hurt.   
  
Suddenly she straightened, and the old, familiar, confident look returned. "So anyway, why are you guys staying on?"  
  
He was shocked again by how quickly she had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. "We... we're just making some good money, and we don't have any love for slavery, either. Besides, we can always get out later, right?" He regretted that last remark as a guarded look passed over her face. "You and Melana have been spending a lot of time together. What's she really like?" he said to divert her attention.  
  
"She's a good person, I suppose," Lotah seemed distracted. "You should talk to her sometime."  
  
"Maybe I will. Where is she?" Tian was glad of any distraction.  
  
Lotah's eyes unfocused for a second, and she said in a dreamy voice, "She's in that little room, down the hall." He stared at her. She looked... really odd, even for her.  
She suddenly shook herself, and her eyes returned to normal. "I'll be in the other room if you need me," she said, and practically ran out the door. Tian stared after her, confused. Every time he thought he was getting to understand her, she did something weird like this.   
  
He reached into his bag and was about to pull out the holovids when Melana burst into the bunk. There was a slightly wild look on her face. "You!" she exclaimed, staring at him.   
  
"Me what?" he asked. She stared at him as if he had two heads. For a second, their eyes locked, then she turned away, shaking her head.  
  
"No, couldn't be," she muttered. "Not him. But I thought I felt..." she trailed off.   
  
"Are you all right?" he asked.  
  
"I'm fine," she muttered as she left the room. For the second time in two minutes, he was left staring at the door, trying to figure out what was wrong with the women on this ship.   
  
----------------------------------------  
  
After they entered hyperspace, Melana and Lorb headed into the small back room without saying a word to anyone, so Tian started up the holovid on the battle for Coruscant. He'd barely gotten through the introduction when Tiros stuck his head in the door, asking if Tian would mind bringing the holovids into the main room so that they could all watch them. Tian obligingly turned off the vid and carried it into the main room. Lotah was lying on the floor by the wall, staring at the ceiling. Kenneth was sprawled on the couch, and Tiros had seated himself on one of the chairs.   
  
"Just stick it there," Tiros nodded at the table.   
  
Tian stepped over Lotah's prone body and placed the holovid on the table and activated it, then shoved Kenneth to the side so that he could sit on the couch. He'd be damned if he was going to share his vids and have to stand through the whole thing too. "Lotah, you want a seat?" he asked, partially because he wanted to show that he was more polite than Kenneth, and partially because his father had always told him to be polite to girls. The floor was hard, and the metal grating had to be digging into her back.  
  
She didn't answer. "Lotah?" he leaned over and waved a hand in front of her face. She still didn't respond. "Is she asleep?" he asked Tiros, who shrugged.   
  
Tian stared a second longer at Lotah, then settled back in his seat. The holovid started out by describing the members of Rogue Squadron, which had pulled off the incredible feat, practically single-handedly bringing down Coruscant's shields. Tian wondered how much of the information about the fighters had actually been changed, the names, the appearances, the races? He sincerely doubted that this film would be particularly informative, much more theatrical than factual. For a moment he repeated the phrase to himself, pleased that he had been able to rhyme so well.   
  
The stars of the show had just made it past Coruscant security when Lotah stirred, and sat up. "You OK?" he asked, one eye on the vid and the other on her.   
  
"Fine."  
  
"You can sleep in the bunk if you want."   
  
"No, that's all right." Lotah's gaze went to the vid. "What are we watching?"  
  
"The Battle for Coruscant," he replied. "Ever seen it?"  
  
"Nope." Lotah leaned her back against the wall, and tucking her knees up in front of her started watching the vid.   
  
Almost two hours had passed, and the vid was almost over when Melana and Lorb came out of the small room. Melana didn't look happy - what else was new? - but Lorb looked pleased with himself. They watched the end of the vid with everyone else, through the cheesy happy ending where one member of the Rogue Squadron miraculously came back from the dead - who's going to believe a story like that? - and they managed to contain the virus that the Empire had maliciously left behind to kill off nonhumans.   
  
The part about the virus being left behind was true enough, because Tian had met some aliens who had survived the virus, but the rest of the story was almost too crazy to be true. There had to be some true facts in it, but he wasn't sure how many. Of course, Rogue Squadron had done some pretty amazing things in the past - destroying the two Death Stars, among other things, but still...  
  
His train of thought was broken off when Melana cleared her voice. "Have you all made your decisions?" she asked. Everyone around the room nodded, all watching each other, trying to guess who was staying and who wasn't. Tian already knew that he and his father were staying, and so was Lotah. Lorb he couldn't guess, and obviously Melana was staying with the trail. Kenneth would probably leave - he was next to useless anyway, and he had to be terrified of the Empire.  
  
"Tiros, Tian?"  
  
Tiros glanced at Tian, then said, "We're staying, at least for now."   
  
Melana nodded. "Lorb?"  
  
"I'll stay." Tian couldn't decide whether or not to be surprised. Lorb had probably been on the wrong side of the law before, so threats of the Empire finding him wouldn't be as frightening. On the other hand, people like that rarely put any job before their own skins, and this was getting dangerous.  
  
"Lotah?"  
  
"I'll stay." Melana did look surprised then, but she didn't say anything.  
  
"Kenneth?"  
  
"I'm staying," he said cheerfully. Melana stared at him, shock evident on her face.  
  
"You're staying?"  
  
"Sure. This is kind of exciting. An adventure." He sounded like a kid about to go to school for the first time. Tian wanted to punch him in the nose - where did he get off joking about real life like that?  
  
"All right," Melana grabbed one of the chairs and sat down with her front facing the backrest. "We're going to Enistap. It's a moon of a gas-giant, and only habitable in a few small domed areas where they keep an atmosphere. The domes are all located on the northern continent and connected by underground tunnels. There's supposed to be an extremely high crime rate, and a healthy slave trade based in the largest dome." At this point, Tian glanced at Lotah, but she accepted the news without blinking.   
  
"Where'd you hear about Enistap?" Lorb asked.  
  
"When I was young, only twenty or twenty-five years old, I used to hang around at the spaceport, listening to some of the off-worlders. They all said that Enistap was a place to avoid."  
  
"Wait a second - when you were twenty-five years old? How old are you now?" Tian asked.  
  
"Fifty-four, why?"  
  
"You don't look fifty-four. You barely look thirty."  
  
Melana glanced down at herself. "Why would you say that?"  
  
"Well, I'm nineteen."  
  
Melana stared at him. "You can't be. A nineteen-year-old is younger than Lotah."  
  
Tian shook his head. "You guys must age at a different rate than normal humans. How old do most of your people live? I mean, if they die of old age."  
  
"That doesn't happen very often, but there was one once who lived to be three hundred. How long do humans live?"  
  
"If they live to be a hundred, they're lucky," Tiros replied dryly.   
  
Melana shook her head, like she was trying to clear it. "It doesn't matter. Has anyone ever been to Enistap before?" Melana asked. Lorb raised his hand, and to Tian's surprise, so did Tiros.   
  
Seeing his surprise, Tiros said, "It was almost thirty years ago - I was just a kid. Haven't been there since."  
  
Melana looked at Lorb, "How long has it been since you were there?"  
  
"Ah... just five or six years, I think."  
  
"Why don't you give us a basic overview of anything useful that you can remember."  
  
------------------------------------  
  
It was almost a week in hyperdrive to Enistap, a long, boring week. By the third day, someone found out that Tian had a second vid, and convinced him to pull it out. Again the entire crew assembled in the main room, and Tian set up the vid on the table again, and they all settled down to watch. This time Lotah managed to grab a seat on the couch.   
  
She'd been laying low for the last few days. She still couldn't believe how careless she had gotten, using her powers to sense where Melana was, for goodness sake! How could she have been that stupid, to expose herself like that, especially when she knew that Melana could sense her! Stupid, stupid, stupid! It had been a very lucky thing that she had gotten out of the bunk before Melana arrived, and even luckier that Melana hadn't identified her from the touch alone. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!!  
  
And then, right after that, she had put herself in a trance, trying to hide herself, or more accurately, hide her Force sense from Melana, right in the middle of the main room! What was the point of trying to hide her sense if she was going to be laying in the middle of the room?! Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID!  
  
At least there was no sign that Melana had any suspicions about Lotah. Tian certainly did, but Lotah wasn't worried about him. He was a nice enough boy, but not at all knowledgeable about the Force. She wasn't worried about him finding her secret. But a few more careless mistakes like that and Melana would find her. Stupid!  
  
Unlike the last vid, which was a dramatized version of events that actually happened, this one was strictly a documentary on some young man named Skywalker. Lotah thought she remembered something about him... he was a hero of the New Republic, and brother of the President of the New Republic. He blew up the original Death Star, and had been involved in a number of high-stakes Rebel activity before the New Republic was formed. She hadn't heard of him doing anything that memorable in the last few years, although she hadn't exactly been looking. In fact, she had been doing her best to stay away from any government activity whatsoever, so it wasn't surprising she hadn't heard anything.  
  
The documentary skimmed over the first 17 or 18 years of his life. He grew up on some planet named Tatooine, all deserts, and didn't do anything memorable until he escaped from the Death Star along with his droid, which somehow had the plans to that same ship in it's files. Lotah wasn't certain on how that had happened, she had been in the 'fresher for the first ten minutes of the vid. The next two hours were devoted to the destruction of both Death Stars, some running around on Tatooine, and a bunch of furry aliens. Lotah wasn't really that interested, except towards the end, when he was fighting Darth Vader with lightsabers - she'd heard that term before, but she couldn't remember where.   
  
After an encounter with some alien race that stole human souls for droids, she shivered at the thought, he moved to a totally uncivilized and undeveloped planet where he started something called a Jedi Training Academy.   
  
The vid was several years old, but it described the Academy, where students were trained by an old code to use the Force. Lotah suddenly sat up straight, intent on every word. The Jedi were an ancient group of soldiers, or guards, who fought for the New Republic for thousands of years. They were almost exterminated during the rise and fall of the Empire, but Skywalker was trying to revive the group.   
  
Disappointingly, the vid only spent about five minutes describing the Jedi and the Academy before it went on to more heroic exploits and adventures. Lotah ignored it, trying to remember every word that had been said about the Jedi. A whole group of beings who used the Force?!   
  
In her musings, Lotah's eye fell on Melana, who was watching the vid with a bored air. What if Melana had trained at the Academy? In all of her travels, Lotah had never heard of another being who used the Force, so who could have trained Melana except Skywalker? She wondered if he knew, or had known, Op. She had to get there some way or another, if only to find out about Op. But the vid hadn't given a location of the Academy. It was probably classified. Melana might know. Lotah decided to ask later, in private, after the show was over.  
  
Suddenly she brought herself up short. What could she be thinking? Skywalker was the brother of the head of the New Republic. Surely this Academy had ties with the government. And if she went there they'd surely find out her past. What would a group of fighters for a legitimate government want with a thief, an escaped slave? She'd be lucky if they just threw her in jail. Most likely, they'd send her back to her owner. She shivered.  
  
Maybe if she was discreet, Melana wouldn't realize what she was asking. There was always a way to do something. And if this time there wasn't, well, then, Lotah could live with that. She hoped.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Midmorning of the fourth day of their trip, Melana was in her 'room,' reading some flimsy's Master Skywalker had given her on Jedi healing. Only half of her mind was on the lesson, though. The other half was considering a problem that had gone unresolved for several weeks. At the beginning of the trip, Melana had thought that someone on the ship had shied away from her mental touch. Yet when she searched the ship again, there was no reaction. Later, on Nalaskya, she had sensed someone using the Force, but couldn't figure out who. Then there had been no real signs for over two weeks, just occasional fluctuations, which could have been caused by anything from a murder to a native who had some Force sense. There was that weird thing at the holovid theater, but that could have been her imagination. Then, just after they entered hyperspace the last time, she felt a touch, this time someone else touching her. It had originated from the bunk, but when she got there, only Tian was around, and it certainly wasn't him. At least, she didn't think it was him. He hadn't so much as blinked when she probed the top of his mind using the Force, and she thought he would have responded if he had sensed it. Of course, anyone who could hide the fact that they were Force-sensitive from her for weeks while they lived with her might be able to hide the fact that they sensed her probe. The latest twist, however, had just happened this morning. Cahi, who was still overly pleased with herself for that first flight, had told Melana that Lotah was accessing information on the Jedi Academy. It could mean nothing, an idle curiosity during a boring flight, brought on by the vid they saw yesterday. Or it could mean something.   
  
Melana toyed with the idea of Lotah being the hidden Force-user. It was possible, she allowed, although highly unlikely. Lotah was dangerous - she knew how to find the dregs of society wherever she went, and she was tough. Having survived a fight with both stormtroopers and drug dealers was proof enough of that. According to Tian and Lorb's report, she had faced a Wookie, and if not beaten it, at least had a draw. All of these things pointed to a dangerous individual, one completely capable of taking care of themselves just about anywhere in the galaxy, but not a Jedi. Lotah was devious, cynical, angry, and sometimes out of control. Everything that I was when I arrived at the Academy. Despite what she told herself, Lotah was very much like who Melana had been before she went to the Academy.   
  
Then she modified that description. Not out of control, never out of control - that was one of the scariest things about her. Melana couldn't recall even one instance in which the girl had lost control of herself, had acted without thinking. Melana had never been that controlled when she was young.  
  
The girl was controlled, confident, as someone would be if they did have control of the Force. It was entirely possible that the way that she had survived her encounters was through use of the Force. But she was young, and had been a slave for most of her life. Where would she have learned to control the Force? Certainly not at the Academy - it had only been in existence for a few years, and Lotah wasn't old enough to have stopped being a slave, gone to and left the Academy, then lost herself in the galaxy so well that Melana had never heard of her before. It couldn't be Lotah.   
  
There was a tap on the wall outside the curtain. "Who is it?" Melana called.  
  
"Me." It was Lotah.  
  
"Come in." Lotah entered, then stood there for a full minute, staring at Melana. "Well, what do you want?" Mellowed though she might be - and the thought irked her - there was a limit to what she would endure for the sake of patience.  
  
"I... ah, wanted to know if you'd do your healing thing on my arm. I know it's not a bad burn, but if you're not doing anything..."   
  
"I'll do it." Melana gestured for the girl to sit. There was another reason that Lotah couldn't be the one. If she had any Force sense she would have realized what Melana was doing the first time she tried to heal her. Of course, if she was trying to hide the fact that she could sense the Force, she wouldn't exactly tell Melana that she knew how the healing was performed.   
  
Melana gave up that annoying circle of thought. She just didn't know enough to make any kind of rational decision. She didn't even have enough information to narrow down the list of suspects. The only thing she knew is that it wasn't Tian, and a bantha could have told her that.   
  
Melana started healing, and Lotah asked, "What'd you think of the vid we saw yesterday?"  
  
"It was entertaining enough." Melana paused, then said, "Had you ever heard of Luke Skywalker?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean, everyone knows that he's a hero of the New Republic." As a matter of fact, Melana hadn't, but her home was rarely concerned with anything happening off planet, so it wasn't as odd as it might seem that she hadn't heard of him before she left for the Academy. Actually, it was odd that her mother had known about it at all. "What do you think he's doing now?"  
  
Melana tried to remember if the vid had said that, then decided it was safe enough information. "Probably running that Academy of his."  
  
"Wonder where it is." Lotah said this in such a bored, casual voice that Melana had opened her mouth to answer before she realized what she was doing. Alarms went off in her head. What was she doing? The location of the Academy wasn't exactly a secret, but one just didn't go blurting out that one knew such things.  
  
Lotah's muscles tightened under Melana's hands, like she was upset or nervous. Melana forced a calm tone and answered, "Don't know. Location's probably classified, or something. Why do you ask?" She touched Lotah's mind - it was full of fear. Fear of Melana?   
  
Just as soon as the emotion had risen, it subsided. Lotah's arm and shoulder muscles were still one long tight string, but there was no sign in her mind that she was upset. "Just wondering. I mean, he was in the spotlight, did so many amazing things, and then he just vanished. It's a little weird."  
  
"Mmmm." Lotah's arm relaxed a little. Melana finished the healing, and then Lotah left.   
  
For a long time afterwards, Melana just sat staring at the spot Lotah had vacated. Something had been wrong with the girl, very wrong, and she was hiding it. After some contemplation, Melana moved Lotah up on her list of suspects as the hidden Force user.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Lotah fled to the 'fresher, trembling in fear and anger. Fear, because Melana had come so close to unmasking her, and anger because she had let her curiosity get the best of her. She quickly calmed down, despite not being able to use those breathing techniques Op had taught her. Once she was thinking clearly again, she started planning.  
  
Melana had been at that academy, and she was one of those Jedi - or at least a trainee. She had gotten all defensive when Lotah started questioning her - that much Lotah could sense even without revealing herself. So Melana could definitely sense her - would definitely sense her... and then what? Turn her over to the authorities? Which authorities? Better not to let that happen.  
  
Melana would find her now, of that she was certain - it was just a matter of time. So she wouldn't give her the time. They were just a few days from their destination - when they got there, she would leave. After that it didn't matter if Melana suspected something, Lotah could disappear in just a few hours. Then she'd never see them again.   
  
That hurt more then she was willing to admit. Maybe I'll just stay long enough to get them set up with another connection. They weren't too far from the object of their search, if I get them one step further, they might make it. For a second she was startled by the realization that she really cared whether or not her companions succeeded in their search.   
  
It was her search too, now. She didn't want to leave, didn't want to run out on them. She had wanted to see this through to the end. She wanted a lot of things, but she wasn't likely to get them. Not if she wanted to stay free. Freedom was worth anything, she told herself firmly, like she had a thousand times before. This time was the first time she had questioned herself.  
  
Tian came into the room and sat on the bunk across from her. "You OK?" he asked.  
  
"Fine, just a little tired."  
  
"Do you want me to leave?" He stood up.  
  
"No, that's all right. You can stay." He sat down.   
  
For several minutes, they sat in silence. Finally, Lotah asked, "You're planning to join the New Republic's forces?"  
  
"Someday, hopefully." There was another long silence. This time Tian broke it.  
  
"You wanna play a game or something?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Oh, anything."  
  
"Will you teach me?"  
  
"Teach you what?"  
  
"How to play a game."  
  
"You don't know how to play a game?"  
  
"I never learned. I know how to play sabacc, and Gabriel... she was teaching me some other games before she was sold, but that was years ago."  
  
"Who's Gabriel?" Tian asked as he pulled out a stack of card-chips.   
  
"A friend, an older sister, something like that. My master owned her when I was first bought, and she stayed with us until I was about five. Then times got hard, and she was more valuable, so he sold her. I never really forgave him for that." Lotah realized that she was revealing more of her past, but she was leaving in a few days anyway, so what did it matter? Or so she told herself.   
  
"Oh." He didn't seem to know how to respond to that. After a second he continued. "Now, you said you know how to play sabacc?" Tian asked, changing the subject. At her nod, he continued. "So we can start with another card game, except this one you don't need any money to play."  
  
"That's a good point," she said reasonably.  
  
He glanced at her, startled. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were kidding me."  
  
"You should know better," she said coldly, but when his face fell, she smiled a little, so that he would know she *was* kidding. He grinned foolishly, then started sorting the cards into piles.  
  
"Now, here's how we set up..."  



	8. VIII

Enistap was everything that Melana had said. A testament to technological wonders, it was located on a single planet in a barren system with an oversized sun. The planet was actually so close to the sun that they had to turn on their shields to land. They found that the inhabitants got almost all of their power from huge solar panels that covered the planet's surface in between the huge bubbles that supported life.  
  
It was also just as crime-infested and dirty as any place Lotah had ever seen. Upon landing, Melana told them that none of them were allowed out of the ship except in pairs, and that they had to have at least one blaster with them at all times. Then she fixed Lotah with a look that told her exactly who was responsible for that rule. Lotah met her gaze evenly - Melana didn't know it, but with the way Lotah's attacks always mirrored themselves on herself, carrying any automatically lethal weapon could be a death sentence for her.   
  
So Melana and Tiros, Tian and Lotah went out again, looking for their contact. They had only a name to go by, and it could be an organization just as easily as a single person. Right after lunch, Lotah noticed a group of humanoids following them. Grabbing Tian's arm, she pulled him into a shop which sold all sorts of contraband, everything from endangered species to exotic perfumes. The group of humanoids paused, looking for them. "What's going on?" Tian asked in a low voice, pretending to study the cage of a little furry creature. It didn't have any visible appendages, but when he poked one finger near the cage, the ball somehow launched itself at the wall of the cage, and Lotah saw an open mouth before it bounced off the plasticine.   
  
"We're being followed," she replied just as quietly, but she was pleased. At least he was learning to be discreet, even if he wouldn't notice if the entire Imperial Intelligence Corps was following him.   
  
"Did we lose them?"  
  
"I think so," Lotah risked a quick touch with the Force and confirmed that they had indeed lost their pursuers, who were trying to decide who was going to tell their boss that they had failed. Lotah wanted to press deeper, but didn't dare until she knew where Melana was. Ever so delicately, Lotah touched the Force once again, pulling back as soon as she recognized the bright point of light that was Melana. Op had always had that 'bright' feeling through the Force too. It seemed that all Force-users did. Lotah wondered how bright her light was.  
  
Melana was several kilometers away. Even if she sensed Lotah, she wouldn't be able to arrive in time to catch her. Quickly deciding on a course of action, Lotah grabbed Tian's hand and pulled him out of the shop. "Hey! What are you doing?!" he cried. Lotah looked at the gang - they hadn't noticed the pair running away yet - perfect. Lotah ran a few feet more, diverted the attention of the leader of the gang for just a second, and the two of them slipped past into an alley.   
  
It was completely deserted, perfect for what Lotah had in mind. She flattened herself against the wall and gestured for Tian to do the same. He did, although he clearly wanted to know why they were bothering, since they were in full view of everyone. Lotah didn't have time to answer his questions - she'd only done this once or twice before, and it was going to take a lot out of her. Besides that, it would most certainly notify Melana that someone was using the Force.  
  
"Get ready," she whispered, and touched the mind of the closest member of the gang. As the rest moved off, this one human lagged behind. As his friends walked farther and farther ahead of him, Lotah sent him a thought, an image, of herself and Tian hiding in the corner of the alley. The human male spun around and ran head-long into the alley, fully expecting to see them cowering in the corner, not even bothering to look at where Tian and Lotah actually stood, in plain sight. Instead of cowering victims, the man found nothing. Tian stepped out from his hiding place and placed the barrel of his gun on the man's neck.   
  
"Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air," Tian instructed. The man obeyed, then turned around.   
  
"You!" he spat.  
  
Lotah exchanged a glance with Tian. "Why were you following us?" Lotah asked.  
  
"We weren't following you!" he said.  
  
Lotah didn't even need to use her powers to tell that he was lying. "Wrong," she said, pulling out her knife and carefully examining the clean edges. "Wanna try again?"  
  
He looked from the knife to her face and back again. Sweat beaded on his brow, but he didn't speak. She noticed that he was barely a man, even younger than Tian. Her age. In that case, she might be able to influence him, make him say something he didn't mean to. But every second they waited here was another second that Melana could find her. She had to hurry.   
  
"Let's try this one more time," she said, 'pushing' at his mind. An image of blood on a knife, a limp body falling to the ground. He swallowed convulsively, and she saw the muscles around his jaw tighten. He was terrified. She could work with that. "Do you know how much blood there is in the human body? Actually, there's quite a lot. Person can bleed for a long time before they die." She casually tossed the knife into the air and caught it again. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Tian grinning. Lotah knew him well enough to know that he was enjoying himself immensely, but to the boy, he looked positively savage. "I'm only going to ask you this one more time. Why were you following us?" She pressed the knife lightly against his chest.   
  
"Boss told us to follow you!" the words burst out of his chest. Lotah 'pushed' a little harder. "Wanted to know why you were asking for him. We were supposed to catch you, rough you up a little, and find out whether there's any money to be made!" Suddenly his eyes got wide as he realized how much he had said, she could feel his shock and confusion - why had he told so much?  
  
"You work for the J'din?" Lotah asked. He nodded. "Tell him we would like an audience - he can name his price, but if it's not reasonable, we don't show up. Half at the beginning of the meeting, and half after we get the info we want. If he has an offer, leave a message here. We'll pick it up, and if we accept, we'll let you know. Do you understand?" He nodded again. "Good." She glanced at Tian, who caught her eye. She jerked her head towards the street, and he slowly backed up, still holding the blaster trained on the boy. Lotah backed up after him, and as soon as they reached the street, they both started running in the opposite direction as the gang had taken.  
  
Lotah felt behind her, but the boy wasn't following, and the gang hadn't even realized that they were missing a member yet. And Melana was nowhere to be seen. Not too bad a morning!   
  
Tian stopped and stepped inside a cafe. The occupants barely glanced at them, and Lotah pulled Tian into seat. "Did he follow us?" Tian asked, slightly out of breath.   
  
"Nope," Lotah noticed, waving away a serving droid that approached them.   
  
"You were great!" Tian exclaimed, laughing.   
  
Lotah tried to shush him. People were beginning to stare. The very thought of drawing so much attention made her skin crawl. "Tian, calm down! What are you talking about?" she demanded.  
  
"That whole, 'Lets try this one more time,' act. That was great! You had him shaking in his shoes!"  
  
"What makes you think it was an act?" she asked coldly.  
  
"Come on, Lotah!" he laughed again. Lotah winced as he practically yelled her name. I should have given them a false name, she thought pessimistically. He saw the look on her face and finally realized how much attention he was drawing. He lowered his voice. "You couldn't torture someone anymore than I could fly!"  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"It shows," he said with a shrug, then sat back in his seat. "So what are we going to do now?"  
  
"We're going back to the ship and give Melana a full report. Then we go back to that alley and see what's there?"  
  
"You think there'll be anything?"  
  
"Of course there will be. The question is whether it will be a message or a bomb."  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Melana accepted the good (or maybe bad) news with little reaction, but she insisted on going with Lotah and Tian when they went to go check out the alley. Of course then Tiros insisted on accompanying them, and then Lorb, and before Lotah knew it, she had a happy little band of four accompanying her. At least Kenneth hadn't wanted to come.   
  
Unfortunately, having Melana with her meant that she didn't dare use her powers, which she had been relying on using to tell if there was any danger. As they walked to the alley, the stupidity of what she was doing hit her. She was going to risk her neck (walk into a trap!) with a bunch of people that she knew very little about, where one of them could and would sense her if she tried to use her powers! Unbelievable! And yet she was still willing to do it. So they all marched like a big parade to the alley. Lotah felt Melana try sense if there was anyone or anything waiting for them, but she couldn't tell what Melana found.   
  
"Let's go," Melana murmured, and stepped into the alley. She walked into the middle of it and slowly turned around, examining her surroundings. "Are you certain this is the alley?"  
  
"This is it," Lotah said. It had been a long time since she had done anything this dangerous without the benefit of her powers. It left her feeling oddly vulnerable, an emotion she didn't enjoy.   
  
Tian was poking around the corner of the alley, under a pile of trash. "I found it!" he suddenly shouted, holding up a primitive recorder.   
  
"Shhhh!" Lotah said, looking around. Five strangers poking around in an alley was unusual enough on it's own, five shouting strangers would draw just about anyone's attention.   
  
"Give it to me," Melana ordered, and Tian handed it over. Melana turned it on, and stared at the message for a minute. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said, tucking the disk into one of those hidden pockets of hers.   
  
"What does it say?" Tian asked, ever impatient. Melana shot him a look that could have frozen a blaster bolt, and he subsided. No one else offered a comment, and they walked back to the ship in silence. Once they were inside the hanger, Melana took out the disk again, but refused to speak until they were back inside.   
  
"So, what does it say?" Tian repeated, and Lotah suppressed a groan. He was going to have to learn some form of patience, or he'd never get anywhere.  
  
"They agree to a meeting," Melana said as Kenneth entered the room. "But there is a condition."  
  
"What is it?" Tiros asked suspiciously.   
  
"That only one of us go to meet their leader," she replied, then added, "and that one person has to be Lotah."  
  
Lotah felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the cabin. Something was wrong here, but she couldn't figure out what, not with Melana right here. It was like back on Melana's home planet, where she knew there was danger but couldn't find it until it was too late. "Why me?"  
  
"I don't know," Melana said, handing the disk to Lotah. "It just says that they won't accept any contact but you. Will you do it?"  
  
"Where do they want to meet?" Lotah asked, looking at the disk but not activating it.  
  
"Behind a particular store. We can position ourselves on the rooftops above it or in the store and watch people coming in and out, but you have to go in there alone."  
  
Lotah didn't like it. If she was smart, she would just refuse, take her stuff and leave. But she had promised herself that she would get them to the next planet before she took off, and despite her background, she did keep her word. "When is the meeting?"   
  
"Late tonight - during full darkness. The message doesn't say exactly when, but full darkness only lasts for about an hour, so they'll have to make contact during that time."  
  
"That's reassuring." It wasn't, but at least she wouldn't be waiting long. Lotah thought about all the effort she had gone to hide herself, the running, the fighting. Then she looked at the expectant faces around her. Even if she was just in it for the money, even if she was leaving as soon as she could, she still cared whether or not they succeeded. "I'll do it."  
  
Melana actually smiled in relief. "I have a small blaster that you can hide in a boot or sleeve - you can have it for the meeting."  
  
"No!"   
  
"No?"  
  
"I... I told you before. I can't use blasters."  
  
"You can't go unarmed."  
  
"I'll be fine, I've got this," she pulled out the knife.  
  
Tian, Tiros, and Lorb looked horrified, Kenneth skeptical, and Melana thoughtful. "You can't take a single knife into a meeting with a drug lord!" Tian exclaimed.  
  
"Yes I can."  
  
"They'd cut you to pieces before you got close enough to use that!"  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"But..." Tian protested. Lotah decided to have some fun. She set the knife down on the table and stood up. When she fought seriously she almost always used the Force, but she was getting better at using the knife without using the Force. Walking over to where Tian was standing, she ran a hand through his hair and smiled sweetly. He pulled back, startled.   
  
"What's wrong?" she asked as innocently as she could. She had practiced this before, making herself look as young and naive as possible. It gave her an advantage that no one could expect.  
  
"What... what are you doing?"   
  
"Nothing." She giggled like a child, imitating some girls she had seen shopping once. "Am I bothering you?"  
  
"No, ah, I don't think so, it's just..." he trailed off.  
  
"Sometimes boys are so silly." She smiled again.  
  
Then, in one smooth motion, she lifted her leg and pulled the hidden dagger out of her boot. Before he could react, Lotah had the knife laying across Tian's throat. He froze, and Lotah giggled again. "Any other questions?" she asked in her normal voice.  
  
"N...nope," he seemed to have trouble finding his voice, which may have had something to do with the fact that there was a blade pressing against his vocal chords.  
  
"Good." She slipped the knife back in her boot, then walked around the table. Everyone was staring at her, and she knew that she had startled Tian. Maybe it was for the best - if he decided that he didn't trust her, it would be easier on him when she left. "I'm going to take a nap - it's going to be a late night." She stood up, about to leave... and she met Melana's gaze.  
  
Melana no longer looked worried, or even particularly concerned. Her expression was one of cold contemplation. Lotah felt a chill run up her spine. She had to get out of here, soon.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
"Harles, please inform Pol that we are in orbit above Retryv," Randel told her first officer. She was standing on the bridge, looking down at the tiny moon, so small it couldn't even hold an atmosphere. All of the people lived in domes, and the drilling was done in vacuum suits. The icy moon had large concentrations of rare metals scattered through the top ten meters of it's surface, evidence of the constant meteor bombardments from the ring of asteroids that surrounded Veta. It was almost impossible to mine from the ring itself, but when the rocks crashed down on the surface of the moon, they left behind an odd assortment of metals. They could be mined fairly easily, except for the inhospitable climate of the moon. Randel noted with some interest that the constant bombardment was slowly wearing away the moon itself, centimeter by centimeter. In a few thousand or million years, there would be nothing left but another large asteroid. She wondered idly whether some of the larger asteroids had once been moons themselves.  
  
"He says that he will need a single squad of stormtroopers, and transport down to the surface," Harles replied with a hint of anger that someone other than the Captain would dare presume to dictate orders to the crew. Randel was pleased at that anger. Pol had done nothing to involve himself with the crew - he'd locked himself in his room since leaving her office, studying the files she gave him, and communicating with the outside world only to demand food or answers to whatever questions he had, at any time of the day or night.   
  
"Please see that he gets what he requested," Randel said, pretending that it had actually been a request that she was fulfilling, rather than an order. "And Harles, I want you to accompany him, and report back to me."  
  
Harles didn't look pleased with the thought of spending that much time with Pol, who was disturbing, to say the least, but he simply saluted her and left the bridge.  
  
Gerit Harles sat in one of the rear passenger seats. He had meant to act as copilot for this short flight, but Pol had appropriated that seat. Not that he had any skill as a navigator or pilot, but he said that he wanted... no, needed... to see the domed city. Gerit had merely bowed and gone to the back with the common stormtroopers, concealing his anger. It wouldn't do to have his subordinates see him loose control like that.   
  
The ride to the surface was smooth, and they were quickly granted access to the dome. This was an independent mining colony that belonged to a private coorporation. They had ties with no government, so that they could continue to trade with everyone. Gerit thought that they showed the worst type of cowardice, waiting to see who would win the confrontation between the Rebels and the Empire before choosing sides.   
  
The instant they touched down, Pol came marching out of the cockpit, his face showing anger. "I have his position. Follow me." Without waiting to see if they followed his orders, he opened the door and proceeded down the ramp.   
  
The leader of the stormtroopers looked at Gerit, who nodded permission. That simple gestured pleased him, showing him that no matter how much authority Pol flaunted, the crew still owed their first allegiance to the ship and its commanders.   
  
They all followed Pol through the quiet streets - it was night during the week, and although the miners would all be drunk within hours of leaving work on Friday, no one drank during the week. Mining was too dangerous a business to have men with hangovers doing the work. He seemed to have a specific destination in mind as he wove through the small streets, finally stopping in front of a small housing complex, designed for the miners without families or on temporary commissions. "He's in there," Pol said with eager anticipation, pointing to the nearest. "Order the men to surround the building."  
  
Although furious at being relegated to the job of relaying Pol's orders, Gerit did as he was told. There were more than a dozen rooms in this building alone - the entire complex had to house hundreds of these small buildings. "What room is he in?"   
  
"I don't know - my powers aren't strong enough to pinpoint his location at this range unless he uses the Force. Order your men to kill everyone inside."  
  
"Are you certain that is wise? If they grow angry with us, the mining colony may refuse to trade with the Empire. We buy a fair amount of metals used to construct ship hulls here. Wouldn't it be better to have them storm the building, find the man, and then kill him."  
  
"The colony is a business, cold and unfeeling. They may complain, but they need our business too much to cut us off over a few miners. I once almost had him, and ordered that my men try to isolate him, in order to save lives." His tone made it clear that that consideration was not his idea. "He managed to trick one of my men into letting him go, using the Force. I won't make that mistake again. Order them to kill everyone. Now."  
  
Gerit sighed, then lifted his com to his lips and gave the order. A few seconds later the sound of blaster fire cut through the quiet of the night. There were some shouts, one scream, and then everything was quiet again, for a second. Then lights came on all over the complex, and people started peeking out of the buildings. His com beeped and the lead stormtrooper reported that all the occupants of the building were dead. A total of fourteen casualties, and no injuries on their side. Gerit gave a mental snort. It was twelve trained stormtroopers against fourteen sleeping, unarmed miners. What did he expect?  
  
"See that no one enters the building," Gerit instructed, then followed Pol as he headed into the building. Inside, the lights were on, and the doors were open. The main hall looked deceptively neat and calm. Gerit stuck his head into one of the rooms, where Pol was examining the body, and saw the miner had been sleeping on his back. He checked each of the twelve rooms. Two of the miners had been indulging with some local prostitutes when the attack came - that accounted for the two extra bodies. It was all very exact, just what he expected from his men.  
  
There was only one anomaly - the man in the last room he came to was fully dressed, and sprawled on the floor. There was a red stain on the desk in front of an open window, indicating that he had probably been standing near the desk and had fallen on it when he was shot. But what had he been doing, fully dressed at his desk in the middle of the night?  
  
"That's him," Pol said from behind him, and Gerit jumped. The man was just creepy. "He must have sensed the danger," Pol continued. "Do you see? He was going to climb out the window when he was shot."  
  
Now that Pol pointed it out, Gerit could see the scene. The man had been leaning across the desk, opening the window when he was shot. Gerit shivered. How terrible to know that your own death was coming, and still not be able to do anything about it.   
  
Pol crossed the remaining distance between himself and the corpse, and cut off a lock of hair from his target, showing no squeamishness at touching dead skin. He sealed it in a small bag, which he tucked away in a pocket. "Let's go."  
  
They walked back outside, where a mob was forming. Pol ignored them entirely until several large-looking men stepped in front of him, blocking his chosen path. "Get out of my way," he growled in a low voice. Two of the men immediately stepped out of the way, but the third man shook his head slightly and didn't move.   
  
"What's going on here?" he asked. Gerit briefly considered ordering one of his stormtroopers to remove the man or shoot him with a stun blast, but decided against it. Let Pol get out of this one on his own.  
  
"One of the men in that building was a criminal of the Empire. He is no longer a danger to honest citizens, such as yourself."  
  
"You killed them all to get one criminal?!" the man asked, and an angry murmur came through the crowd.  
  
Pol didn't answer. He drew a small concealed blaster from his belt, one that Gerit hadn't even known existed, and shot the man in the chest. He was dead before he hit the ground.   
  
Pol turned the weapon on the nearest bystander. "I want you to make an announcement. That dangerous criminal was insane. He killed all of the men in that building, and would have continued his killing spree if we hadn't stopped him. There is no need to thank the Empire that protects your safety, it is just our job. I expect that message to be circulating all over this planet by dawn."  
  
The man he had picked nodded, sweat streaming down his body as he stared at the blaster a few centimeters from his head. His eyes traveled to the corpse on the ground at his feet. "I'll spread the word." There wasn't a chance in the galaxy that anyone would believe one word of that announcement, not with all the witnesses and the placement of the bodies, but no one would speak out against the perpetrators, now.  
  
"Good." Pol tucked the blaster back into his belt and walked forward into the crowd. People hurried to get out of his way.   
  
Gerit stepped over what was left of the dissenter and followed, amazed at the callousness and cruelty of this man who killed at the slightest provocation. A stun blast would have done the job just as well. There had been no reason to kill that man. Gerit would have a lot to tell Captain Randel on his return to the ship.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
That evening Lotah dressed in a very comfortable and very flexible jumpsuit. She didn't want her movement hampered in any way. Incidentally, there was a good deal of padding in the suit around the chest area. It would be useless if there was a firefight, but could give her a little help in a brawl. Both of her knives were on her person, hidden. Hopefully she wouldn't need any of them.  
  
The setting sun took up almost half of the sky, and the planet's closeness to that same sun ensured that full darkness would only last an hour. She found the designated store with no problems, and marched inside. There were few customers at this hour. Walking purposefully to the back of the store, she was stopped by the manager, who looked her over very carefully before allowing her to pass. The knowledge that the store was probably a front for the J'din didn't make her any more comfortable.   
  
Neither, really, did the knowledge that she had plenty of backup. According to Melana's instructions, Lorb and Tiros would enter the store about ten minutes after Lotah did. They were to make no attempt to get to the back, but just watch to see who did pass through the back door. Melana was going to get into the alley - she didn't say how. Tian, who was presumably the only member of their group other than Lotah who had been seen, was acting as a decoy. He was supposed to climb onto the roof of the next building over and make a lot of noise. If the J'din were watching him, they might miss the others.   
  
Lotah harbored doubts that the J'din didn't know the rest of them on sight, but it didn't really matter. The biggest difference that would make was that all the backups would be found. Other than Melana, Lotah didn't think any of the others were circumspect enough to avoid being noticed anyway.   
  
She walked past the huge boxes of various food items from all around the galaxy. At the end of the storage room there was a huge door. The boy that she and Tian had grabbed before was waiting beside it. "Through there," he said, jerking his head towards the door. He was grinning maliciously, but Lotah could sense his fear, too. She'd done a better job of scaring him than she thought.   
  
Opening the door, she saw that it led into a refrigerated room, made for storing perishable items. Hesitating, she almost asked whether he was sure that there was another door. That was a stupid question. Either it did or it didn't, and he certainly wouldn't tell her. It made no sense for them to kill her with such crude tricks - if they wanted her dead, this boy could have been waiting with half-a-dozen thugs, all armed with blasters. She walked inside, and the door slammed behind her. Although she was expecting it, she jumped.  
  
The room was cold - much colder than the clothing she was wearing was designed for. Even so, she took her time, flexing her fingers almost constantly to make sure that they didn't become numb. This could be deliberate, to partially debilitate her before they met. Or it could just be coincidence.   
  
Whatever the situation, the J'din had never come up against someone who could use the Force the way she could. That gave her an edge. Melana would find her, but it wouldn't matter. Once she had given the information to the first member of the crew she encountered, she was gone. No one knew this, but she had already moved her stuff off the ship and hidden it in a locker. She didn't even have to return to the ship. All she had to do was make it through tonight.   
  
The room seemed to be getting colder as she approached the back door. Her fingers were getting numb, so she opened a small link to the Force and felt a slight tingle as the circulation improved. The door opened automatically as she approached, and closed after her when she stepped into the warm, dry air outside.   
  
There was no one there. The small space between the back of the store and the beginning of the next building was only fifteen meters long, and maybe eighteen wide. The ground was ordinary stone, some of it covered by layers of garbage, but none of that thick enough to hide anyone who might be hiding, waiting for her. Here she had been preparing herself, and there was no one.  
  
Instantly her danger sense went crazy, raising goose-bumps all over her body. Something was seriously wrong here. She turned to go back into the refrigerated room, but found that the door didn't open from this side, at least without a code. A quick glance at the walls told her that even she wouldn't be able to climb them on her own. She was trapped.  
  
For a second panic threatened to overwhelm her, but she took several deep breaths and got herself under control. Just because she was stuck here didn't mean anything. It could be their way of softening up people who they were meeting with, or they could want privacy. It was just her memories of being trapped, as a slave, that were making her so scared, she tried to convince herself. She resisted the urge to search for her companions, both with her eyes and with her other senses.  
  
Despite the logic behind her explanation, the danger sense didn't go away. But she did have it under control now. Walking over to the wall opposite the door, she leaned against it, looking as unconcerned as she could manage. Then she waited.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Almost half of a standard hour had passed before anyone showed themselves. And even then, it caught Lotah by surprise. By then she was sitting cross-legged on the ground, her back against the wall opposite the door. The first thing she was aware of was a strange rumbling, a vibration in the ground. It was very faint, and left after a moment, but it was enough to bring her back to full alertness. She rose to her feet just as a circular pile of garbage rose into the air, revealing a turbolift beneath it.  
  
Lotah's breath caught in her throat. Here was something none of them had expected - three large (very large) men and a woman stepped out of the lift, and it retreated back into the ground. Except for the presence of the four humans, there was no sign that there was, or had ever been, anything but garbage in the open space. Even if someone was watching, they night have missed the lift, positioned as it was in the corner where two of the buildings met.  
  
All of the men wore blasters, and two of them held packs that might contain anything from money to weapons to food. Lotah regretted at least not wearing a blaster, if for nothing more than appearances. But if I wore one I might forget and use it, and then I'm dead. Then, thinking about her situation, Of course my chances don't look so good right now anyway.  
  
"So," the woman said, stepping out from behind the men. She was dressed in a skin-tight black suit, and held a small blaster in one hand. Her hair was shaved within an inch of her head and died platinum blonde. She wasn't that pretty, but there was a hidden look in her blue eyes that Lotah tended to associate with criminals and assassins. "So you're the one who gave Iridel such a scare. Not much of a thing, are you?" When Lotah didn't respond, the woman frowned and said, "What is it you wanted to ask the J'din? Such meetings come at a heavy price."  
  
Lotah ignored the threat and said, "I was told that you might know the name of the planet where the poison id is grown."  
  
The woman smiled. "True enough, I *can* tell you the name of the planet, although it's a closely guarded secret." Lotah's senses told her this was the truth. "But first we must speak of price."  
  
"Very well." Lotah waited for the first bid. It would undoubtedly be too high, but it would give her an idea of the range they were talking about. Melana was wealthy, what with those stones of hers, but she couldn't afford to just throw money away.  
  
"You."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The price for that information is you, Lotah," the woman's smile broadened.   
  
Alarms went off in Lotah's head. She knows my name! She must be after the bounty! It was a trap!!! Lotah immediately drew her knife, and the three men advanced on her. Surprisingly, none of them was holding their blasters. Two had stuck their blasters in holsters, and the third had actually placed his on the ground.  
  
OK, so they want me alive. That gave her a small (very small) advantage. All thoughts ceased as the first of the man tried to grab her right arm. Letting the Force control her movements, Lotah stepped out of the way and brought her left elbow down hard on his outstretched arm. There was a sickening crack, and Lotah felt a sharp pain in her own arm. At least my arm's not broken, too. The man cried out in anguish, and took a step back. The other two men hesitated.  
  
"Get her!" the woman shouted. "She's just a child!"  
  
"She broke my arm!" the first man protested.  
  
"If the three of you can't catch an unarmed child, I don't see any reason for you to stay with me," the woman threatened, holding her blaster at the man with the broken arm.  
  
"She's not unarmed, she's got a knife," he muttered, but he stepped back towards Lotah.   
  
She's got them more frightened of her than they are of me. Then the two remaining men simultaneously launched themselves at her. She caught the one on the right with a jab to the shoulder, but instead of pulling back, he continued his forward motion, and the knife got caught in his arm. Surprise broke Lotah's concentration, and the second man tackled her, his greater mass driving her into the ground.   
  
"Let go of me!" she shouted, furious and terrified. Under his bulk, she twisted her body and brought her knee up into his groin. He gasped, then moaned and went limp, but that didn't help her situation, as she was still pinned under him. The man she had stabbed pulled out a pair of binders and clapped one on her right wrist, which was pinned under the guy's shoulder. He was recovering now, and with his right hand he pinned her left hand to the ground and rolled off of her. Now one of them held her left hand and the other had a binder on her right.  
  
"Get up!" the man she had kicked growled, and pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was standing, Lotah aimed a kick at him, but he blocked it with his forearm. "Nice try," he said, and twisted her right arm behind her. The man with the binders forced her left arm behind her, and then clamped the binder around her left wrist, pinning her hands behind her back.   
  
"That was pathetic," the woman said. "Look at you. You barely managed to catch a girl all of you outweigh by fifty kilos. There's not a scratch on her, and she managed to stab you, break his arm... That was truly pathetic."  
  
The men didn't answer, but they held Lotah's arms so that she couldn't even try to run. The woman took a step closer and examined Lotah's face. "There must be a reason there's such a high bounty for you," she murmured. "Are you a trained assassin?" When Lotah didn't answer, the woman shrugged. "It doesn't really matter, so long as the money is good. You belong to them now."  
  
"You belong to them now." That phrase brought back all sorts of memories that Lotah had been trying to forget for over a year now. "I... I'm not a slave," she said, failing to keep the trembling out of her voice.   
  
The woman threw back her head and laughed. "You are now, slave," she taunted.  
  
Lotah panicked, and started kicking wildly. I won't go back... I'll kill myself first. Never again, I swore. Not to that woman... Never! I'll kill myself. They won't own me. Not again...  
  
"Shut her up!" the woman said angrily, and Lotah realized that she had been muttering. The man with the broken arm took a step towards her and backhanded her with his good arm.  
  
"Let her go!" someone shouted, and the man with the broken arm suddenly froze, a strange expression on his face. He fell, and as he fell his body twisted, revealing a large blaster wound on his back. Lotah looked up, and saw Tian standing on the roof above the store. He held a blaster, and it was leveled straight at the woman. "Let her go," he repeated.   
  
Melana stood up beside him, then jumped to the ground. She made the 20 meter jump look effortless. "Release her," she growled, the tawny-colored hair that Lotah had admired earlier sticking out straight around her head, like a corona.   
  
"Who are you?" the woman demanded, raising her gun to bear on Tian. Melana didn't seem to be armed, but Lotah knew Melana well enough to know that she probably had a small arsenal hidden on her person.   
  
Lotah blinked. She had been alone for so long that she'd forgotten that they were even around. They're saving me, she thought, dumbfounded by the thought that anyone would risk their life for *her*. Who ever cared anything about what happened to a thief and a slave?  
  
"I am her employer, and she's worth a great deal to me. Alive. Release her," Melana repeated.   
  
Lotah got control of herself. Of course they weren't coming for her, they just needed her skills, needed to fulfill their mission. Still, if it got her out of here, she wasn't complaining.  
  
"Do you have any idea what's she's worth?" the woman asked. "Two thousand good credits. Put that gun down and we can split it."   
  
"I don't care about the money. Release her," Melana answered, startling Lotah until she realized that Melana had a blood debt to answer for. Of course money meant nothing to her until that debt was paid.   
  
"I don't think so," the woman said. "We still outnumber you three to two, and you're not even armed. I think maybe we'll take the two of you along to, and sell you as slaves." Lotah stiffened.   
  
Melana stared at the woman for a long moment without moving, then she attacked.  
  
Even though Lotah had seen the amazing shape that Melana was in, and had seen the environment that spawned her, she couldn't have imagined the speed and efficiency with which Melana fought. Without removing her eyes from the woman, she took a step towards Lotah, grabbed the man with the knife wound, jerked the gun from his hands, and threw him across the alley, all in one smooth motion. The gun was flung against a wall. Then Melana was motionless again, watching the woman. She nodded to Tian, who fired one shot into the man lying motionless at the base of the wall. Lotah noticed that this shot was a stun beam. "Two against two," Melana said, a feral grin on her face. Then she attacked again.  
  
The man she had kicked earlier was slightly faster than the other one. He had begun to bring his gun to bear on Melana when Lotah kicked him again. He took a half-second to shove her away, giving Melana enough time to disarm him. He pulled out a vibro-knife and began slashing at the air in front of him, trying to catch Melana. She stayed back, just out of his reach, then stepped in when the knife was at the bottom of it's arc, hit the man's wrist, breaking it, and shoved him back against the wall. His head banged against the plascrete hard and he fell to the floor, where Tian shot him.   
  
During the brief fight, Lotah noticed the woman aiming at Melana. With her hands still tied behind her back, Lotah threw herself at the woman, hitting her hard enough to throw the shot that had been aimed at Melana into the ground. Then the woman fought back, and threw Lotah to the ground. Lotah saw the woman bring her gun around... there wasn't enough time to do anything... she waited for the inevitable, and at the same time wondered at the calm with which she was looking at her own death.  
  
"Lotah!" Tian shouted, drawing the woman's attention. She focused on the greater threat - Tian - aimed, and fired. Tian's shot hit the ground at her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, Lotah saw Tian - falling from the ceiling, hitting the floor hard. He didn't move.   
  
"NO!" something burst inside Lotah. Faster than she ever had before, she brought her emotions under control, reached for the Force. Even as the woman brought her murder weapon back around to kill again, Lotah picked her up using the Force and threw her hard at the nearest wall. There was even enough control in her mind that she only hit the woman hard enough to knock her out, not to kill her. There was no pain at all for Lotah.   
  
For what seemed like a long time but was probably in actuality only a few seconds,  
the scene was frozen there. Melana, standing over the body of the last man, Tian laying motionless by the wall, Lotah on her knees, staring at the woman, who lay by the opposite wall.   
  
Then it ended, as Lotah lost control of her emotions. Feelings that had been dammed up inside of her broke out, and for the first time in years, tears streamed down her face as she stumbled to her feet. "Tian!" she cried.   
  
Melana was already running to Tian - she reached him before Lotah could. "Is he dead?" Lotah asked, hardly daring to breathe. Then she realized that she could still feel him through the Force. He was alive - barely.  
  
"He's still alive." Melana stripped his shirt down away from the chest wound. The blaster bolt had narrowly missed his heart.  
  
"Can you heal him?"  
  
"I don't know, I've never tried something this bad before." Melana lay her hands on the skin at the edge of the wound. "I'll try." She closed her eyes, and Lotah sensed the changing currents of the Force.   
  
There was the sound of blaster shots from inside the building, then Tiros and Lorb came running out of the freezer room, blasters drawn. They stopped when they saw the bodies sprawled around the open space. "What happened?" Tiros asked, then he saw his son lying on the ground. "Tian!" he ran over. "What happened? What's she doing?"  
  
"They shot him. Melana knows some healing techniques that she learned on her home world. She may be able to save him." Suddenly something occurred to Lotah - she might be able to help Melana, focus her own energy to aid Melana's effort. It was the least she could do after he saved her life. And Melana had seen her use her powers anyway. "Quick, untie my hands. I may be able to help her. She..." Lotah paused, not wanting to lie but not wanting to tell the truth. "She's been teaching me some stuff. Please, just get these binders off."  
  
Tiros looked at her, then bent over the binders. A few seconds later they popped off, although he didn't have the key. Lotah knelt next to Melana and carefully lay her hands on Melana's shoulders. So deep was Melana's concentration that she didn't even twitch. Lotah sat back on her heels and reached for calm.   
  
Whatever it was that had let her get calm so fast before was gone, and her worry over Tian was slowing the process. She took a couple deep breaths, and shut out all thoughts of Tian. She found her center, controlled herself, and reached for the Force. It flowed through her, and after a second she directed the flow into Melana. She felt Melana's surprise as the extra energy hit her, then followed what Melana was doing with her own mind.   
  
The healing process was actually a type of telekinetics, where Melana forced the red blood cells and antibodies to the wound faster, she accelerated the healing process, but she didn't actually do any healing herself. Through her closed eyes, Lotah also saw a concentration of the Force within Tian's body, a life-force that was keeping him from dying. She briefly lost her concentration as she realized how close to death Tian tread, then got herself back in control when he moaned in response to her action.   
  
For many minutes, maybe even a half-hour, Melana and Lotah sat silently, concentrating. Then Lotah noticed a change in the field that surrounded Tian. Once again the Force was flowing smoothly through him. He's going to live, Lotah realized, faint with relief. She opened her eyes and examined the wound. It would leave a nice scar on the left side of his chest, and still needed something to hold it together, but was no longer life threatening. She removed her hand from Melana's shoulders and stood up, automatically stretching to avoid tearing muscles stiff from sitting in the same position for too long.   
  
As soon as she stood up, her place was taken by Tiros, who cradled Tian's head in his hands. "Tian," he said, blinking back tears, "You idiot. What the hell would I have done if you went and got yourself killed? I keep telling you, over and over again, heroes die young." His voice was soft, his tone loving, completely at odds with his words.   
  
Lotah instinctively stepped back, sensing that she could have no part of whatever was passing between father and son. It was the first time she had seen any true expression of love between a parent and a child, and she wondered what it would be like to have someone who cared like that for her.   
  
Melana came out of her trance and also rose to her feet, showing no signs of the stiffness that had bothered Lotah. "He will live," she said in her gruff manner. "But we should get him back to the ship, where we can give him some proper treatment. I assume you don't want to take him to one of the official medical clinics."   
  
Tiros shook his head. "No, not if we can help it. He'll be all right?"  
  
Melana glanced at Tian, who was laying with his eyes open on the ground. His eyes were clear, and although he had yet to say anything, it was clear that he was following the conversation. "I do not know the particulars of normal human healing, but I think he should be all right."  
  
"He's not a normal human, anyway. Most doctors probably wouldn't be any more knowledgeable," Tiros said, but he still looked worried.  
  
"I... I can scrounge up some decent medical supplies," Lotah said shyly. The others turned and looked at her, as if they had forgotten that she was there. I was going to leave - I should leave. But Tian got shot defending me. It just wouldn't be right to abandon him when he's down like this. She stopped her train of thought. It just wouldn't be right? Since when did what was right or wrong have anything to do with what happened in real life?  
  
Tiros nodded. "Please," he said quietly. He had never struck her as a person with dignity, but as he asked for help saving the life of his son, he came across as more dignified than any nobleman or ruler Lotah had ever seen in the holos.   
  
Lorb stepped up from behind Lotah, clearing his throat. "What about them?" he asked, jerking a hand towards the opposite wall. Lotah saw that all four of their attackers had been neatly tied and set down next to the wall, although they were all still unconscious.   
  
"The woman really does know where id is grown," Lotah said, remembering the purpose of the entire incident. "I guess we should take her back to the ship to question her, but leave the others."  
  
"He shouldn't be moved," Tiros said worridly, "But we need to get him out of here." He looked up. "How are we going to get out of here?"   
  
"That is not a problem," Melana said. She strolled over to the pile of bodies, picked up the woman's, and slung her over a shoulder. Then she took three running steps towards the wall, jumped, and landed neatly on top of the roof. Up there, she set the woman down, then dropped a rope. "I can lift Tian up," she said.  
  
"Wait a second." Lotah had spied a wooden plank leaning up against one wall, half hidden by a pile of garbage. She couldn't imagine where it had come from - who in the galaxy used wooden planks for anything anymore - but they could use it. Tugging the plank loose, she carried it over to where Tian was still lying. "We should put him on this. That way he won't get hurt any worse."   
  
Tiros nodded, and he and Lorb rolled Tian onto one side, while Lotah slid the plank underneath. "Give me the extra rope," she said, and Lorb handed her the lengths of rope he carried. She tied one end of that rope around the plank near Tian's feet, and the other end around the plank just above his head. Then she tied the rope that Melana had dropped to the center of the second rope. It wasn't the most stable device in the universe, but it ought to get Tian up all right.   
  
"Wait, let me climb up first," Lorb said. "I'll help Melana pick him up at the top."   
  
Lotah privately doubted that Melana needed anyone's help, but she waited while Lorb scaled the wall, then stood on her tiptoes to help guide the plank gently to the wall, so that it wouldn't bang or scrape. Then Melana slowly raised the plank up to the edge of the roof. Lorb grabbed the plank while Melana dropped the rope, then the both of them lifted it over the edge. A few seconds later, the rope came back down. First Tiros climbed, doing it more easily than Lotah would have thought, given his age, and then Lotah followed him up.   
  
Getting back to the ship undetected seemed ridiculously easy, given what they had been through that night. Melana lead the way, carrying the woman, then Lorb and Tiros followed, carrying Tian between them. Lotah followed them up, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. There was none, a fact which worried Lotah. If this woman was truly a representative of the J'din, why wasn't anyone after them? Surely by now someone had noticed that the attempted capture had failed. Yet the woman did know about the id, Lotah's senses couldn't have been wrong about that. So she must be someone. They would find out when they questioned her.  
  
They traveled over the rooftops, and hadn't touched the ground once when they reached the hanger. Not even then bothering to use the door, Tiros led them to a hole in the ceiling, located directly over the ship. Using the recovered ropes again, they lowered themselves and Tian directly onto the top of the ship, then opened the hatch on top and climbed inside. Melana went to tie the woman to a chair in the main room, while Tian was carried into the main bunk.  
  
Tiros and Lorb lifted him very carefully onto one of the beds, while Lotah fetched the medkit. When she returned, she admitted, "I don't have much experience with this sort of wound, and I'm not sure what to do. Do either of you have any experience?"  
  
"I do," Tiros said, pulling the medkit from her hands. He opened it, examined the contents, looked at the wound on Tian's chest, and looked back into the medkit. The wound was starting to bleed again as the results of Melana and Lotah's healing began to wear off. "Damn it!" he muttered. He stared off into space for a moment, then started rummaging around in the medkit again. "Put some of this on the wound," he said, shoving a tube of antibacterial antiviral creme at her. "I'll be back in just a minute."  
  
Lotah exchanged a glance with Lorb, then she started gently smearing the cream on the lower edge of the wound. "What do you think he's doing?" Lorb asked.   
  
"I don't know," Lotah said, trying to make a layer of the white cream over the blood.  
  
"That wound has got to be sealed," Lorb said, watching her motions. "The best thing would be that synthetic organic skin they sometimes use for burn patients - it would keep the blood in and any bacteria or viruses out. But we don't have any of that on the ship , and I don't think we could find any to buy in time to help him."  
  
Lotah quickly thought back, trying to remember if she had seen anything that matched Lorb's description while she was exploring the city, but came up empty. She hadn't been looking for anything in particular, just looking for contacts. Now she regretted that lack.  
  
  
  
  



	9. IX

True to his word, Tiros returned in less than a minute, carrying a small bag in one hand.   
  
"What's that?" Lotah asked, standing up to give him access to Tian's body.   
  
Tiros emptied the bag on the bed next to Tian, and out fell a spool of thread, meant to mend clothing, and several needles. "A while back I met a smuggler who told me about this method. It's well known among smugglers, because it takes so few supplies and it can keep you alive long enough to get some real medical supplies. It's called making stitches." He was struggling to thread one of the needles.  
  
"You're going to sew him together?!" Lorb exclaimed.   
  
"It might work," Lotah murmured, watching intently. "If it stops the blood flow, he'll stay long enough for us to get some other supplies."  
  
"That's the idea," Tiros said. "Sort of." He now had the needle threaded, and made a large knot in the end of the thread. Then he leaned over his son's body, and very carefully pushed the needle through the top several layers of skin on one side of wound. He pulled the thread until the knot was right up against the skin, then pushed the needle through the skin on the other side.  
  
Glancing up, he saw Lotah. "You, push the sides of the wound together." Lotah put her hands on either side of the wound and slowly pushed them together, until one side touched the other. As she did, Tiros pulled the thread tight and knotted it at the other end. Then he bit off the excess thread, and made another knot. "Don't let go, or he'll pull the stitches and be worse off then when we started."  
  
That said, he pushed the needle through the skin again, a few centimeter away from the first stitch. The entire wound was fifteen or twenty centimeters long, and it took Tiros almost twenty minutes to finish closing the wound, but he did it. Melana and Kenneth came in part way through the ordeal, and silently seated themselves on one of the bunks and watched. Lotah's arms were spasming by the time Tiros finished, but the blood flow had already been reduced to a trickle, and that was worth having sore muscles.   
  
Tiros wiped his bloody hands on a clean spot of the bed sheets, although most of them were saturated with blood. Picking up the tube of cream again, Tiros smoothed a little of the cream along the seam he had created. "He'll be all right, now. Regardless of whatever else we get to help him, those stitches have to come out by tomorrow night, or the skin will grow around it."  
  
"Tomorrow night?!" Lorb exclaimed. "I've seen injuries a lot less severe than that, and they put good men out of it for weeks! He's lucky to be alive! That wound won't be healed by tomorrow night!"  
  
"Among other things, my son inherited a very good regeneration process from his mother," Tiros said, and Lotah remembered that Tian was only half-human. She looked at the wound, and sure enough, there were tiny bridges of skin growing across the wound. "He got cut up pretty bad before, from here to here," he gestured from hip to hip, "across the stomach. I sewed him up like this, and by that evening he was good as new. Of course, it wasn't quite as bad as this, but he should be fine in a few days." Tiros sounded a whole lot more confident than he looked.  
  
Then he turned and looked at Lotah, then Melana. "But even he wouldn't have survived that shot if it weren't for you two. And I thank you for that. What did you do?"   
  
"It... it was a healing technique that Melana learned, and she taught it to me," Lotah stammered.   
  
"Neat trick. How's it done?" Kenneth asked.  
  
"It is very complicated," Melana said smoothly. "And you would not be able to do it."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Melana looked pointedly to Lotah then glanced at herself. "There are slight differences between us," she said as if it were obvious. Surprisingly, Lotah's lying sense didn't go off, but then she figured it out - Melana hadn't actually lied, she'd just lead them to believe that it was because they were female instead of the truth. It was important to remember that distinction, that fine line between lying and assuming.   
  
"Oh, I get it. It's a girl thing," Kenneth said, repeating the obvious. It was really amazing how clueless he was. Then Lotah noticed something - he was lying. About what? Maybe he didn't get it, and that's what he was lying about, but her sense didn't usually warn her when someone thought they knew more than they did. Weird. Lotah resolved to keep a closer eye on Kenneth. There was just something weird about him, something that didn't fit.   
  
Neither Tiros nor Lorb looked convinced with that explanation, but they chose not to pursue it. "Whatever the method, I can't thank you enough for saving his life," Tiros repeated.  
  
Lotah was developing a sense of right and wrong, and it wasn't any Force sense. So she was forced to say, "It was the least I could do. Tian attracted her attention in order to save my life, and in the process got shot. Helping him isn't enough to repayment, but it was the best I could do."  
  
Tiros nodded. "Where is she?" the question came out as a growl.  
  
"She is unconscious and tied to the bench in the main room," Melana said. "You may have her to do with her what you will, but after I question her." Lotah was startled by the statement until she realized that there were probably some rules about blood-debts or something from Melana's home planet, so naturally the cat-woman was following them.   
  
"Then let's go see if she's awake," Tiros said, standing. There was a cruel expression on his face that Lotah had never seen before. But then, she had never seen him when Tian was hurt before, either. She shivered, and couldn't tell if it was from anticipation of what Tiros would do, or from the devotion that this father and son exhibited for each other.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
As it turned out, the woman was not awake, but Lorb had bought a hypo full of stimulant somewhere, and when he injected the woman, she groaned weakly, and her eyes fluttered open. "What the..." she muttered, looking around. Then her eyes focused on Lotah. "You little bitch! Freak!" She opened her mouth to say more but then she noticed Melana and the others watching her. Her mouth closed abruptly, and a determined look replaced the outraged one. "What do you want?"  
  
"The information we came for," Melana said evenly. "And which has been paid for in blood."  
  
A cruel look crossed over the woman's face. "He's dead, isn't he? That brat who tried to shoot me, he's dead?" Tiros's face got very red, but at a motion from Melana he didn't mention the fact that Tian was still alive.   
  
When no one refuted her claim that Tian was dead, the woman smiled. "Served him right. He was stupid to join in a fight he couldn't win. You'll all die too, and soon." Then, as she realized that she might have said more than she meant to, she shut her mouth again.   
  
Melana glanced at Lotah. "She knows more," Lotah murmured, and Melana looked back at the woman. Lotah realized that Melana knew about her now, everything about her now. No one had ever managed that before, and Lotah didn't know what she would do. Common sense dictated that she should run now, before Melana summoned the police or a bounty hunter or something. But she couldn't leave Tian now, not after he almost lost his life saving hers. And she couldn't leave Tiros either, not after he had thanked her like that, like she was a regular person, instead of a thief or a slave.   
  
It was too much. She had never felt like this before, not even with Gabrielle. Gabrielle had been the first person ever to be really nice to her, been her first and only friend. But Gabrielle had been so much older than her, and Tian was much closer to her own age, and...  
  
By the stars! What was she thinking?! Lotah brought her attention back to the questioning.  
  
"If you don't tell us, you will die," Melana said in that controlled voice of hers. Another of those devious half-truths, most likely the woman would die even if she did tell, based on Tiros's earlier comments.   
  
The woman suggested that Melana do something that Lotah doubted any humanoid, no matter how athletically skilled, could do to themselves.   
  
"Where is the id from?" Melana demanded again, but this time Lotah felt a definite surge in the Force. Only years of practice and control enabled Lotah to pretend she hadn't felt it, but she did look at Melana. What on earth was the woman trying to do? Lotah thought back to her lessons with Op, but couldn't remember ever having heard of anyone being able to force an answer out of someone using the Force.   
  
It did seem possible, though, as the woman's face took on a blank expression. "It's from Hibris II," she said in a subdued voice. Then the push through the Force stopped, and the woman shook her head. "What the hell? How did you do that?"  
  
Melana ignored the question. Instead she asked in a regular voice, "Why was there such an attempt to hide the location of this planet?"  
  
"They didn't want you to show your ugly face down there."  
  
Melana sighed, closed her eyes, and Lotah felt another surge through the Force. "Why?"  
  
"There's an Imperial base down there. They have a deal with the Malikite Poisoners - security for poison. The Malakites don't tell where we have our base, and in return we supply the Malikites with some special poisons and slaves."  
  
"Slaves?"  
  
"There's a local population," the woman said under the force of Melana's persuasion. "A bunch of pre-starflight natives. We sell them off for a couple extra credits."  
  
"What is your part in this?"  
  
"I'm an Imperial agent," the woman said unwillingly. "They planted me in the J'din to eliminate anyone who came looking for Hibris."  
  
"So you're not actually a member of the J'din?"  
  
"I am, but only a lower level member. I intercepted the message you sent before that kid could give it to my superiors, and arranged the meeting to kill you all."  
  
"Why'd you try to capture Lotah?"  
  
The woman blinked several times, coming out of the trance Melana had put her in. "What's it to you?" she sneered, then blinked. Lotah saw her go pale. "I told you," she whispered, staring at Melana with frightened eyes. If Lotah hadn't been so angry and disgusted with the woman, she would have felt sorry for her.   
  
The woman blinked again, retaining her arrogant mask, but by now it was clear that was all it was - a mask. "I don't think I'll tell you," she said with a smirk.   
  
Lotah felt another surge in the Force, but this time the woman shook it off. "Uh-uh. Can't trick me again."   
  
Melana glanced at Lotah, then straightened up. "I think that's all we're going to get out of her," she said quietly. Lotah wondered what they were going to do with the woman now. They couldn't just let her go, and they couldn't turn her in - she'd rat on them in a matter of minutes. Then she remembered what Tiros had said, and looked up at him. He was staring at the woman, his expression twisted with anger.   
  
"You said I could have her," he said to Melana, who nodded. He made a step towards the chair. "Lotah, hold her." Lotah shook her head and backed up. She wanted no part in what was going on here. Tiros frowned. "Lorb?" Lorb also shook his head. "What's wrong with you people?" he growled.  
  
Then he stopped. "What am I saying?" he whispered, and stumbled out of the room.   
  
Everyone watched the empty door for a minute, the Lorb asked, "What do you think happened?"  
  
"I think he came to his senses," Melana said quietly. They all waited in silence, even the woman, for another minute. Then Tiros came marching back through the door, holding his blaster in hand. Before anyone could do anything, he fired one shot into the woman, who let out a strangled scream and then fell silent.   
  
Lotah started to jump at Tiros, then controlled herself. The beam had been blue-white, a stun beam, not lethal. As Tiros started untying the woman, Lotah asked, "What are you going to do with her?"  
  
"I'm going to take her back to that damn alley, dump her body there, and leave a note telling the real J'din that she's an Imperial agent. Let them deal with her as they see fit."  
  
A second after Tiros delivered that speech, Lorb moved to help him carry the woman out of there. Lotah didn't move. The woman would most likely die, but there was very little help for it. If they let her go or turned her over to the police, she'd betray them in minutes. The J'din might not kill her - but either way, this would keep her occupied for some time, so that she couldn't warn anyone that they were coming. At least this way the blood wasn't on Tiros's hands, and Lotah wouldn't have to think of that crazy look in his eye every time she saw him.   
  
Again she wondered what was the bond between a father and son that it would almost drive a person crazy to be separated.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
The next morning Lotah snuck out before anyone was awake to retrieve her bag. Everyone was still asleep when she got back, and she stowed the bag back under her bed, and lay down again. No one seemed to have noticed the bag missing the night before, so probably no one would notice that it was back now. They'd almost found the id, so soon this quest - job, she firmly reminded herself - would be over, and she could get back to life as normal. Whatever that was.  
  
Tian was resting comfortably, as comfortably as he could, given his present condition. He hadn't woken up yet, but Lotah sneaked a peak at his wound, and discovered a thin layer of skin covered most of it. It would certainly break if the stitches were removed now, but that there was that much improvement already was a good sign.   
  
Once everyone was up, they made immediate plans for departure, and were on their way only three hours later, not a bad wait, considering the bureaucracy. Tian even woke up briefly during the wait, long enough for them to tell that there had been no damage to his head, and for them to ask if there were any other injuries that he could feel that they'd missed. Then they left him and Tiros alone for several minutes, until he went back to sleep.   
  
The ship lifted off smoothly, even with only Tiros at the controls. Or maybe Lorb helped him. At the time, Lotah was picking through her pack, organizing it, wondering what she was going to do once they'd found the id and Melana's mother's killer had been found. Her old life - run, hide, find another job... run, hide, find another job... it seemed rather pointless now. After all, she couldn't run forever. Sooner or later someone would get lucky, or she'd get careless, and then what would all of her work for the past year have been for? All signs that she'd ever been free, ever existed, could be gone in a second, and then what? Maybe she could find something to do, something to show the universe that she existed. She could free some slaves, or something like that. It'd be more dangerous, but at least it would be something, and she wouldn't have wasted her entire life doing nothing but running. She filed that thought away for later.  
  
There was a small jolt as they entered hyperspace. Tiros came into the room and stood next to his son. He was almost obsessive about keeping an eye on Tian, especially since it was obvious that no one was going to hurt him while they were on the ship, and the boy wasn't going anywhere. "We've entered hyperspace," he said to the room. It had been ridiculously easy to find the planet Hibris II after all the time they'd spent searching for it - it had only taken ten minutes Lorb to find the supposedly secret sight. That made Lotah suspicious - it could be a trap - but hadn't said anything. What were they supposed to do? Not go because it *might* be a trap? Melana wouldn't stand for that, and actually, neither would Lotah. She found that she was as anxious to find the id as Melana, even though it would mean an end to this job, and saying goodbye to Tian.  
  
"Lotah, would you please come to my quarters?" Melana's voice came over the com.  
  
Lotah jumped and tried to control her face - all this time she'd been making plans about what she would do after this job, grand plans for the future, and she'd completely forgotten that Melana knew her secret! She'd be lucky if she was still alive at the end of this job, let alone free! The only advantage she had was that Melana was also wanted by the Imps, so she might be able to use that as a bargaining chip. Taking a deep breath, she controlled her fear, and walked to the cargo bay.  
  
Melana was sitting on her bed, waiting very patiently for Lotah to arrive. Too patiently - she was meditating. Lotah knocked gently on the metal wall, it boomed hollowly, but Melana didn't stir. Fine, if she wants to play games, I can do that, too. Lotah sat down, leaned against the wall, set herself in a half-trance, and waited. They both sat in silence for almost a half-hour, then Melana suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Who trained you?"  
  
The question was unexpected, and Lotah almost answered without thinking. She'd already opened her mouth to say, 'Op,' when she realized what Melana was attempting to do. She'd felt the surge in the Force, and now knew what it meant. Controlling herself, she said, "Who trained me in what?"  
  
Melana smiled. "I think you know." Pointing one hand at Lotah, she closed her eyes again. Lotah gasped as the Force rushed at her - she hadn't felt anything like that since Op died. Instinctively she pulled back, fearing the strange touch on her mind. It felt far too much like the touch she'd felt after Op died. But almost immediately Melana pulled back. "Who trained you to sense that?"  
  
"Sense what?" Lotah asked again, trying to maintain some pretense at innocence.  
  
"Don't lie to me," Melana said quietly, but there was a cold hardness in her voice. "You went out early this morning, and you came back with your bag. Were you planning to leave?"  
  
"I, ah..."  
  
"The woman mentioned a bounty on you, so I checked. Did you know there's a ten-thousand credit bounty on your head?"  
  
"Ten thousand?" it was all coming too fast - all her secrets were coming unraveled right here.  
  
"Where were you going this morning?" again Lotah felt her using the Force, compelling her to answer.   
  
"I... I was going to leave."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I... I was afraid." Lotah rose. She had to get out of here before Melana forced the whole truth out of her!  
  
"Sit down!"   
  
"No!" Lotah was trembling, shaking violently as she fought against Melana. No one had ever tried to do this to her before, and she'd never learned how to fight it.   
  
But she did know how to use the Force. She took a deep breath, let it out, and took another. A few more breaths and she was calm again, and the Force flowed through her. "Sit down!" Melana ordered again, but now Lotah was in control. She walked towards the canvas.   
  
"Lotah, wait!" there was no compulsion in Melana's voice, but Lotah didn't stop. If she stopped, she might not be able to start walking again. "Lotah..." Melana's clawed fingers wrapped around Lotah's arm.  
  
"Let go of me," Lotah said, trying to shake the hand off.  
  
"You were going to leave," Melana said quietly, letting go of Lotah's arm. "But you didn't. Why?"  
  
Despite her intention to walk out, leave and never look back, Lotah stopped. "I... I couldn't leave you guys now. Not after you risked your lives to save me. Not after Tian almost lost his."  
  
"You said you were scared. Of what?" Melana didn't give her a chance to answer before she continued, "Oh, stars. You're a runaway. You weren't set free, you ran away. You're an escaped slave - that's what this is all about. When did you run?"  
  
"I have to go."  
  
"No, you don't."  
  
"Yes, I do." But she couldn't move. Melana had all of her secrets. If she left now, there could be officials waiting for her right outside the hanger.  
  
"You're terrified," Melana said, sounding surprised.   
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"Yes, you are. I can tell when you're lying to me, you know."  
  
"I know." The tired words came out before Lotah could censor them.   
  
"But you're trying to control it. That's Jedi training."  
  
"It is?" Op had never mentioned the Jedi, but it was possible that he had known them. Then a thought struck her... Could Op have been a Jedi? She hadn't known about Jedi when she knew him, and now there was no way to find out. Then something else occurred to her. "You're a Jedi, aren't you?"  
  
Melana shook her head. "I'm only an apprentice."  
  
"But you were at that Academy, weren't you?"  
  
Melana nodded. "I left to find out how my mother died."  
  
"And that's why the Imps are after you."  
  
"It's possible, although I don't know how they would have found out." Then she said, "But that's not why I asked you in here."  
  
Lotah remembered what she had been trying to do. "I... I have to go."  
  
"Who are you running from?" Melana asked, and again Lotah paused.   
  
"My... my old master."  
  
"Is that who posted the bounty for you?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"So you weren't freed." Lotah shook her head, wondering why she wasn't leaving. "When did you run away?"  
  
"Over a year ago. Right after she did this," Lotah touched her own back.  
  
"Are you going to run away now?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe."  
  
"We're in hyperspace."  
  
"Oh." Lotah stared at the canvas wall for a few minutes. Finally she asked, "What are you going to do?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About me. Ten thousand credits is a lot of money, and it would keep bounty hunters off your back."  
  
"You mean, am I going to turn you in, report you to the authorities for a fee? No. However, I may tell Master Skywalker about you, when this is all over."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'm a thief! That new government will throw me in jail just as fast as the Imps would!"  
  
"I doubt that. I'll make a decision about that later. In the meantime, will you tell me who trained you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why not?" Because I still want to have something that you don't know. Because I don't know if you would turn me in once you knew my secrets. Because I don't know what's wrong with me now, and I want some time to think about it.  
  
"He's dead, and I don't want to talk about him," Lotah said, and reached for the canvas.  
  
"You're lying again." Lotah ignored that statement, and pushed the canvas aside, and Melana made no move to stop her. In fact, she could feel a little satisfaction coming from Melana's quarters, and she wondered why Melana had let her go so easily.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Tian groaned, and tried to roll over on his side. Big mistake. Pain shot across his chest, and he groaned again, louder this time. "Tian?" asked a soft voice. Lotah.  
  
Tian opened his eyes, and was blinded by a flare of light. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, and in a few seconds his sight cleared. Lotah was leaning over him, her violet eyes watching him - full of concern? For him? Tian wondered if she really was worried about him, or if she was just acting again.  
  
"How are you feeling?" she asked. Her voice was worried, but she could be acting.   
  
"Not great. What happened?"   
  
"Don't you remember? Tiros said that you woke up before."  
  
"I think I remember him talking to me a little. I think I was half asleep. What happened before that?"  
  
"You got shot," she said, glancing at his chest. He raised a hand to touch it, but she slapped it away. "Don't touch the bandages. Your father took a good while to make those stitches things, and I don't think he wants to do it again."  
  
"He had to stitch me up?"  
  
"Yes, but he said that you should be fine in a couple of days. Certainly by the time we reach Hibris."  
  
"What's Hibris?"  
  
"It's the planet where the id is grown," she said, glancing at one of the walls for a second. "Wait here, I'll go get Tiros. He'll want to talk to you."  
  
"Like I could really move," he said, smiling weakly. She gave him a small smile and walked out of the room.  
  
A few seconds later, Tiros entered. He didn't approach Tian for a moment, he just stood a few feet away and stared. "Dad?" Tian asked, trying not to let his voice crack. Even this short look at his father had told him a lot - about the worrying, about the anger, about the fear... "Dad, I'm really sorry."  
  
It was if a dam had broken. Tiros suddenly rushed forward, bending over to hug his son. Tian tried not to cry out with the pain of the pressure on his chest. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he exclaimed accusingly, "Heroes die young."  
  
"Sorry, I just saw her going to shoot Lotah, and I..." he trailed off, realizing how stupid the argument sounded now.   
  
"I knew it, you're gone on that girl, aren't you?" Tiros said, his tone a little less hoarse.   
  
"She mentioned some planet - did we at least get the information we wanted?"   
  
"Yeah, the bitch talked before we sent her back to her cronies."  
  
"And?"  
  
"We're headed for an Imperial-controlled slave-world named Hibris."  
  
"Imps again?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"We're still here?"  
  
"I couldn't exactly leave with you laid out like this. Besides, those two women saved your life."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What do you remember?"  
  
"I think... I remember... a flash of light, and some pain. I thought I saw..." he struggled to grasp at an elusive memory, but it slipped away. *That* annoyed him, and he continued to search his memory as he finished his answer. "I know I remember talking to you for a few minutes, before."  
  
"When Lorb and I arrived, Melana was doing something to you, I'm not sure what. It looked like she was meditating or something, but you weren't dead yet and Lotah said it would help. Then she told me to untie her, and she started doing the same thing that Melana was, and I saw you getting better. They haven't really said what it was that they did, but you could have, should have died from that shot."  
  
"I should have?"  
  
Tiros nodded, his face grim. "I've been around for a while, and that shot would have been instantly fatal to most people, luckily for you that you're not most people. Still, what they did was miraculous. I... we owe them for that. We're in this until it's over."  
  
"You owe them?" Tian asked, trying to joke.  
  
"Absolutely. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," that came out in a rush, as if he didn't want to admit it. "Now you promise me you won't do anything else that stupid, or I may take a blaster to you myself. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest when I first saw you."  
  
"Dad..." Suddenly that elusive bit of memory came to the surface. "Dad, I just remembered something," he said. "Remember when we first me Lotah, and I thought I saw something jump from her bag into her hand?" At his father's nod, he continued. "Well, I'm not sure, but I think, before I blacked out, that I saw her look at that woman, and then the woman went flying across the alley. She didn't touch her, I'm pretty sure. I think."  
  
"But you're not sure."  
  
"I'm not even sure that my name is Tian, right now. But I think that I really did see that, that I wasn't hallucinating." Something about his father's face made him ask, "Does that mean anything to you?"  
  
"Maybe. Maybe not. Forget about it for now. If you were hallucinating, then there's no problem. And if you weren't, and she's what I think she is, then we're in no danger from her anyway."  
  
"What do you think she is?"  
  
Tiros shook his head. "I'll keep an eye on her, but I don't want to say anything without proof." He made a complete change of subject and said, "So how are you feeling?"  
  
"Better, actually. That immune system of mine must be working overtime. How long until I can get up."  
  
Tiros smiled. "Take it easy - the stitches come out tonight. You stay in bed until tomorrow morning, and then we'll see how you feel. In the meantime, I have what little information we have on Hibris, and a few holo's I don't think you've seen yet. So what do you want to start with, work or play?"  
  
What Tian really wanted was to get Lotah back into the room, so that he could talk to her some more, try and figure out whether she was acting or not. But since that wasn't one of his options, he shrugged. "Work before play."  
  
Tiros gave him a broad smile. "That's my son." He pulled out a small flimsy.   
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Melana walked into the small room that Lorb was using for his sessions with Cahi. The computer was getting better at running the simulations of flying the ship, and that information she had found on Lotah was good to have, even if Melana hadn't needed it this morning. Lotah had surprised her, first being able to resist the force of Melana's order, and then deciding to open up on her own.  
  
Well, sort of, Melana reminded herself. Lotah still hadn't told who had trained her, which was definitely the most important information she had. Master Skywalker would love to hear about anyone talented enough to train Lotah as well as she had obviously been trained, even if he was dead now. It seemed that most people that strong in the Force ended up dead.   
  
She wondered what Lotah's limits actually were. During the fight, she had used the Force to throw the woman across the alley with the strength of her mind alone, and it had looked like she was completely under control at the time. Of course, she might have been acting instinctively, to save herself, but raw emotions tended to lead to the Dark Side, and Melana would have recognized that. Or so she assumed.  
  
"Hello, Melana," Cahi said as she entered. Her face appeared on the main screen, then switched to a holoprojection in the middle of the floor. Suddenly Melana found herself looking down at Cahi, who stood quietly in front of her, hands clasped behind her back, smiling cutely. "What do you think?"   
  
"It's new. Did Lorb set it up for you?"  
  
"Yeah," Cahi smiled foolishly. "He's really nice. He says that he might even be able to install some more projectors, so that I could even walk around the ship."  
  
"I think you should wait on that. I don't think the others would understand if there was suddenly a holographic girl walking around the ship."  
  
Cahi nodded, then said, "Melana, why won't you let anyone but Lorb know about me?"  
  
"It's just a feeling."  
  
"Then you don't really have a reason?"  
  
A few weeks ago, that would have really bothered Melana, to have her orders questioned like that, but now she just ignored it. "No, no logical reason."  
  
Cahi studied her face for a minute, then asked, "Are you really a Jedi?"  
  
"You were listening in on my conversation with Lotah." Melana's tone was accusing, although she had expected that Cahi would eavesdrop. She eavesdropped on almost everything else that happened on board. Melana couldn't really blame her, if this ship had been her entire world, she probably would have listened in as well.  
  
"You didn't say I couldn't," Cahi said defensively.  
  
"No, I didn't," Melana replied with a sigh. Dealing with species other than her own could be trying, even with her increased tolerance. Cahi was so defensive about everything. "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone - including Lorb, about that discussion. Anything that Lotah and I talk about when we're alone is private. All right?"  
  
"All right. I promise I won't tell. Cross my database." And Cahi giggled. This last phrase and the giggle served to remind Melana that Cahi still was a child, which didn't reassure her. As a rule, children weren't very discrete, or good at keeping secrets. Or so she had heard. On her world, children grew up very fast, and were kept away from most potential enemies until they learned to be circumspect.   
  
"Good."  
  
"So, are you?" Cahi asked.  
  
"Am I what?"  
  
"Are you a Jedi?" Cahi was not to be diverted from the topic.  
  
"You weren't listening in very well. If you had been you would know that I'm still an apprentice, not a Jedi."  
  
"Oh. Is Lotah a Jedi?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. I'm not qualified to tell."  
  
"Oh." The holographic figure began skipping in a circle around Melana. Every now and then Melana's body would shield Cahi from one or more of the holoprojectors, and parts of her body would disappear for a second at a time, only to reappear when she moved away from Melana. It was a little disturbing, and very annoying. "What's it like at the Jedi Academy? Do they teach you to move rocks with your mind?"  
  
"Where'd you hear about that?"  
  
Cahi shrugged. "I read it somewhere. Well, what do they teach you?"  
  
"Telekinetics is one of the things that I was taught, although I'm not very good at it yet."  
  
"What else to they teach you?"  
  
"Healing techniques, meditation..." Melana was deliberately leaving out the mind control and lightsaber techniques, although she was far from being ready for the latter. Actually, after this journey was over and she went back to the Academy, she was going to study Jedi healing techniques. The past few weeks had piqued her interest in healing, rather than fighting. Funny that her talent seemed to lie there, rather than in fighting. Ten generations of her ancestors would roll over in their graves if they knew.   
  
"Is that how you saved Tian's life?"   
  
"Yes."  
  
"How did Lotah know the healing techniques?"  
  
"I... I'm not sure," Melana answered, suddenly struck by the realization that she really didn't know how Lotah had learned the technique. Now that she thought about it, she had probably taught the girl. Lotah had to be intelligent to hide herself from the bounty hunters - even with the Force to help her, it was no easy task for a young girl. As soon as Melana had helped heal her the first time, Lotah must have known that Melana could use the Force. And yet she had controlled herself well enough that Melana never even realized that Lotah could sense the Force, much less control it. She hadn't even suspected that anyone on board knew what the Force was until just a few days before, when the multiple stirrings in the Force became too numerous to be coincidence. In all honesty, Lotah probably had more control over her talent than Melana did. Anyone with decent training could learn new things just from observing them - and she had provided plenty of things for Lotah to observe. "She probably learned it from me."   
  
"You promise you'll let me fly as soon as we find who killed your mother?"  
"I don't make promises I don't keep," Melana said, managing to control her anger at having her word questioned. Cahi just didn't understand.  
  
"Melana?" Cahi asked after a minute.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Would you tell me a little about the Academy?"  
  
"You were there for a while, don't you remember?"  
  
"I was there, pretending to be a normal ship. I never got to leave the hanger."  
  
"Didn't Artoo tell you about what was happening?"  
  
"Yup, but I want to hear it from you. Living creatures tend to see things different than machines like me. PLEASE?"  
  
Melana sighed and rolled her eyes. Cahi was the most illogical computer program that she had ever heard of. Still, what harm could it do? And besides, what else was she going to do? She'd already examined what little information they had on Hibris, checked on Tian, confronted Lotah... that had provided less information than she would have liked, but Lotah obviously wasn't going to open up to her now. "All right. What do you want to hear about?"  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"Captain, we've found them again."  
  
"Took you long enough!" Captain Randel snapped. It had been almost three weeks since they'd been able to find the ship and that damn girl. They'd traced them through two star systems since the last time they'd seen the ship, the last one had been some world almost completely covered by water. And they wouldn't have even been able to find that if not for the 'hunch' of their guest.   
  
The sidetrack they had to make to pick him up was responsible for them loosing the girl in the first place, but she did have to admit that his methods worked - even if she had no idea what they were. After that little excursion in the Retryv, which seemed absolutely useless to Randel, except perhaps as a balm for Pol's ego, they went back to the last known position of the ship the girl was in. Of course, by then she was gone, and they traced her to the next system, where the trail went cold. They would have lost them completely, except Pol went into his room for several hours, and when he came out he announced that they were at that stupid water world. Having no better options, Randel followed his instructions, and sure enough, the ship in question had been seen leaving the system just a few days earlier.  
  
Randel did not like things happening on her ship that she didn't understand, and the longer Pol stayed on her ship, the worse her temper got. By now all of the men were tiptoeing around her, and the tension was almost palpable.   
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"Right now they're in hyperspace, traveling to the Hibris base."  
  
"The Hibris base?" That was the world from which Randel received her orders, or at least they were relayed to her from there, including the one that sent her on this wild goose chase to catch the girl. Including the one that had put Pol on her ship. It was also supposed to be secret. "How did they find out about the base?"  
  
The answer was quick in coming - at least response time was improving. "We got a report from the agent who has infiltrated the group. He says that they managed to capture one of our own agents undercover in one of the criminal organizations on Enistap. The cat woman forced answers out of our agent."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I... I'm not sure. The agent didn't say. He said she just asked, and the woman answered."  
  
"She is Jedi," Pol said quietly. "Do you need more of an answer?"  
  
Randel spun. She hadn't realized that Pol was on the bridge until he spoke. Damn him! She wanted to yell at him, but command had put him on this ship and given him leave to go anywhere he wanted, so there wasn't anything she could do. Quickly turning back to hide her anger, she snarled, "Continue with the report."  
  
"Our agent says that after they questioned her, the group stunned her and left her out where the criminal organization would be sure to find her."  
  
"Her cover was blown, any criminal organization worth infiltrating would kill her."  
  
"I believe that was the idea, sir. However, we won't have to worry about her. Our agent injected her with a poison. He wasn't in time to keep her from talking, but she will have been long dead by the time the criminals find her. They won't get any information from her."  
  
Randel nodded. "That was good work. We still have no way of getting in contact with this agent, do we?"  
  
"No sir."  
  
"Very well. Set a course for Hibris II, and inform the authorities to be on the lookout for our ship. If they see it, they should track it, but don't attempt to capture or destroy it. We've spent all this time looking for the girl, and I don't want to loose her now."  
  
"Yes, sir." Randel left the bridge, brushing by Pol on the way. He didn't seem to notice, his eyes fixed on the view of the stars. Once she got to her quarters, Randel brought up all the information she had on Lotah, and then all the information she had on the cat woman. There was no sign yet that they'd even realized how close they were to each other. How ironic.  
  
There was a knock on her door, and a second later it opened, despite the fact that she hadn't given permission. Not surprisingly, Pol stepped through. "What do you want?" she said, not bothering to hide her irritation.   
  
As always, he didn't seem to notice. "I have been meditating. The girl is much stronger than she was last time we met."  
  
Last time we met? Randel had been on the girl's trail ever since she ran away a year ago, and had been observing her for some time before that. Pol had never been near her in that time. "And when was that?"  
  
"It doesn't matter," he replied, much to her annoyance. "What does matter is that you will not find it as easy to catch her this time as you did last time." There was a hint of disapproval in his voice, which annoyed her further. He was surely referring to the fact that she had lost the girl after less than a week the last time, only a few weeks after she had caused the death of the girl's owner. The fact that a fifteen-year-old slave could escape her had not looked great on Randel's records.  
  
"She was given to me the last time," Randel replied, keeping a firm reign on her emotions. "I didn't realize at the time that she was Force-sensitive, or that she knew how to use her powers. All I was supposed to do was make her dislike me, so that Command could appear to rescue her. If they had told me why they wanted her, I wouldn't have left her in a room with a simple bolt across the door."  
  
"I've been told that she ran away after a beating you gave her."  
  
"I was under orders to make her hate me. And slave owners are supposed to keep control over their slaves - otherwise there is no point to having a slave." Randel had been raised in a wealthy family, one that owned many slaves. She had seen her father deal with slaves all her life, and knew how to deal with them herself. That girl had sorely needed a beating, even if she hadn't been under orders.  
  
"You went to far. You were only supposed to turn her against you, not encourage her to use her powers to escape," Pol said. This was the first time he had actually accused her of wrongdoing, and even if his accusation had been justified, which is wasn't, there was no way Randel was going to take that from a subordinate.  
  
"You go to far," she said. "From now on, until we find that girl, you are confined to your quarters. Once I have found her, she will be delivered to you as promised. Until then, I am going to run this search as I see fit." She pushed a button on her desk, and a man from security immediately stepped into the room. "See him," she pointed a finger trembling with rage at Pol, "to his quarters, and see that he doesn't leave."  
  
Pol left without incident, and Randel sat down in her chair, trying to get control of herself. How dare he?!   



	10. X

Cahi popped into the system well out of the range of any sensors that might be located on the planet. The cockpit was crowded as everyone on board tried to get a look at Hibris II. "There's a Star Cruiser orbiting the planet," Tiros said, looking at the sensors. He and Tian were back in the pilot and co-pilot's seats, as if Tian's incapacitation hadn't happened.  
  
"A Star Cruiser?" Lotah asked, frowning. She hadn't said one word to Melana about the Force since that discussion the first day of travel. Now it was ten days later, Tian was as healthy as he ever was, everyone was impatient to get down to the planet, and Melana was going nearly crazy with curiosity, both about the planet and Lotah. There had been no connections that she could trace back home about her mother's death - would there be some link here?  
  
Somewhere at the back of her mind, Melana realized that their search had become much more important than just finding her mother's killer, but she didn't think about that. There were enough things for her to think about without having to worry about strange hunches and feelings.   
  
"Yup. It's beacon says that it's called the Blade," Tian snorted his opinion of that name. "They really have to work on their creativity."  
  
"Creative or not, there's no way we can go up against that," Tiros said practically. "They'd blast us into a million pieces, or latch onto us with a tractor beam and haul us aboard. In that case, they'd interrogate us, then kill us. Either way, we'd end up dead sooner or later. It's just a matter of when and how long it'd take."  
  
"So we're going to turn around?" Kenneth asked, his always scratchy voice sounding worse than usual. Melana stared at him. He sounded almost disappointed. What happened to the coward she'd brought on board?   
  
Then she realized he probably had no idea of the dangers involved, and was just interested in the flora on the planet. This system revolved around a star that gave off almost pure white light, yet still managed to support life. Apparently there were a number of gases in the atmosphere that refracted the light, making the sky appear to be streaked with all different colors all the time. It must make for interesting plant life. She turned away, slightly disgusted by how blind he was.   
  
But when she turned, she saw Lotah staring at Kenneth with an odd expression on her face. Since Melana now knew about Lotah's power, she tended to trust the girl a little more. "Anything wrong?" she murmured, leaning over so that only Lotah could hear her.   
  
Lotah shook her head, and Melana felt a surge of some emotion before she controlled it. What was that? Fear? Confusion? Suspicion? That last one sounded right, but the surge was gone before Melana could positively identify it. "It's nothing," Lotah murmured back, without taking her eyes off the planet. Melana considered trying to reach out to the girl with the Force, but based on her earlier response to that stimuli, it probably wasn't the way to earn Lotah's trust.  
  
"No," Tiros said in response to Kenneth's question. "I've seen this sort of pattern before. The cruiser is in geosyncronous orbit above the only port on the planet. Any ships that go by them will have already been cleared. One of the moons is inside their orbit, though. We'll just wait until the cruiser is on the other side of the planet. Then we make a microjump, sneak in behind the moon, and land with the rest of the cleared ships."  
  
"Are you sure?" Lorb asked. He was looking over Tian's shoulder at the screens. "The moon's spinning, and it's only between the cruiser and the planet for a few minutes. You'll have to stay on the far side of the moon, and then move with the moon so that the cruiser stays on the far side when you try to jump into the pack. And even if that works, I think that they'll notice if an extra ship suddenly appears on their sensors when they get out of the moon's shadow."  
  
"We know that," Tian said, sounding insulted that Lorb would think them so stupid. "We hide in the shadow of one of the other ships until we hit the atmosphere. By then, their sensor readings are confused enough that they won't be able to tell if we're another ship or just interference."  
  
"Oh." Lorb fell silent.   
  
"It's risky," Tiros admitted, staring at the cruiser. It was just beginning to pass behind the planet. "I've already calculated the microjump, but there's always a chance that something will go wrong with that. It's going to be tough to keep the moon in the right place, relative to us, and even harder to stay with one of those ships long enough to land, but it's the only chance we've got. Our information shows that they only do brief checks on the people they let through, and that they let all sorts of traders go down to pick up slaves, so we ought to be safe enough once we land." He paused, then said, "It would be a lot easier if the cockpit wasn't so crowded."  
  
They took the hint, and everyone except for Tian cleared out of the cockpit. To Melana's surprise, Lotah seated herself next to Melana in the main room. "Are you scared?" Lotah murmured, staring blankly ahead of her.   
  
"No," Melana said immediately, then reconsidered her answer. "A little, maybe, more apprehensive, or excited. Are you afraid?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Something big is going to happen down there," Lotah shivered. "I can feel it."  
  
"A premonition?"  
  
"A what?"  
  
"Seeing the future?"  
  
"I don't know. That planet is very important to me, but I'm not sure why." Lotah looked across the room, then glanced at her feet. "Kenneth is watching us."  
  
Melana looked up, and saw that Kenneth was staring at them, an odd expression on his face. "You're right." Something in Lotah's posture made her ask, "Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't trust him. He lies."   
  
"How do you know?"  
  
Lotah shrugged, and Melana could see her building a wall up between them again. "Just be careful with him," Lotah said, then turned away.   
  
Melana slowly counted to ten, and then repeated the action. This was so frustrating! Lotah had obviously had training, but she wouldn't tell where. She knew tricks that Melana didn't, but she wouldn't tell what they were! The only thing that made the trip bearable was the fact that her search for evidence against her mother's killers was leading somewhere. But for Lotah to open up, and tell her something that was so close to an answer, and then to pull away... Melana caught herself about to loose her temper, and counted to ten again. She was training to be a Jedi, and Jedi did not let themselves be ruled by their emotions. Lotah obviously had that part of the training down.  
  
Once she got her temper back under control, Melana considered Lotah's words. So far, other than being a general annoyance with his naivete, Kenneth had been completely helpful. He had done his job, then stayed on to help out. Or did he? At the time, Melana had wondered why he would choose to stay with them. It was true that she was paying them a lot of money, but he didn't seem to be the type who would risk his neck for money. For interest in the different plant life on the planets they visited? At the time it seemed to make sense, but now that explanation seemed hollow. So why? Melana resolved to keep a closer eye on him.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
The entire operation went smoothly. The microjump went flawlessly, and Tian and Tiros alternated turns keeping the ship behind the moon, so that neither of them got tired and careless. Then Tiros flew the ship around the far side of the moon, and Tian flew it in behind and below one of the bigger slave ships. The two of them worked effortlessly together, often not even bothering to talk when they had to work in unison.   
  
The trip from the outskirts of the system to the planet's surface took nearly six hours, and both of the pilots were exhausted by the time they landed. It was also the middle of the night. Because of that, and because of the fact that they knew so little about the planet in general, they decided to wait until morning to venture outside the ship. Tiros ran a quick sensor sweep of the area around them and found one anomaly - there didn't seem to be any other ships parked nearby.  
  
A quick discussion led to the decision that they would still wait until morning. The anomaly could be explained by any number of simple explanations - they were in a shielded room, or the other ships had shielding, or they just happened to be parked in an almost deserted landing area. After all, they had followed the directions that the landing coordinator had sent them, to the letter, and these were the exact coordinates. Lotah had a bad feeling, but she didn't say anything. How was she supposed to explain a 'bad feeling' to Tian and the others? Melana would believe her, but Lotah wasn't sure that she wanted Melana listening to her hunches.  
  
So she went to the bunk with everyone else, and tried to get some rest for the day ahead. But it was no good. For several hours, she couldn't sleep at all, and when she finally did fall asleep, it was to nightmares. There were dim, shadowy figures reaching for her out of the darkness, and faces she didn't recognize stared at her with odd - colored eyes. Finally one of the shadows grabbed her and pulled her into the darkness, and she was falling... Lotah woke up screaming, and woke up everyone else in the ship.   
  
Reacting with the instincts of a soldier, Tiros was on the floor, his blaster aimed at Lotah. Also acting instinctively to the sight of a blaster, Lotah threw herself to one side and kicked the blaster out of Tiros's hand. "What the hell?" Lorb yelled, flicking on the lights, and Melana walked into the room.   
  
"What is going on?" she asked, her tone as cold as ice.   
  
Tian paused, half way out of his bunk, his blaster also drawn. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking at Lotah.  
  
"I... I..." Lotah said. She stared across the room, and saw light reflecting off something in Kenneth's hand. A second later, the reflection disappeared, and Kenneth looked up into Lotah's gaze. Their eyes locked, and Lotah was thoroughly chilled by what she saw. Then Kenneth looked away, and Lotah was left to wonder at what she had seen.   
  
"She," Tiros pointed accusingly at Lotah, "started screaming her head off. What are you trying to do, get every official in three systems to come down on us?"  
  
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to - I had a nightmare." Lotah flushed. That excuse did sound really stupid right now.  
  
"A nightmare!" Tiros exclaimed, sounding disgusted. He rolled over onto his side, muttering just loud enough for her to hear, "Never thought I'd end up halfway across the galaxy with a bunch of babies." He fell silent for a second, then said, "And turn off the light!" Lorb turned off the light.  
  
"Are you all right?" Tian asked from his bed. He sounded genuinely concerned, although he had to be half-asleep.  
  
"I'm all right, really. I'm just going to go get a drink of water." She smiled into the darkness.   
  
"OK." He yawned and rolled over, settling in the exact same position his father had.  
  
Lotah stood up and walked as quietly as she could to the main room. Melana followed her. "What did you dream about?"  
  
"What difference does it make?" Lotah tried not to snap. She really was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, especially not to Melana. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. People tended to do stupid things when they were angry - which might be part of Melana's plan anyway.  
  
"Was it about this planet? One of us?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Melana didn't speak for several minutes, and they stood in absolute silence, each waiting for the other to say something. Lotah was about to leave when Melana said, "Sometimes Jedi have visions of the future or the past. I was wondering if you had one of those."  
  
"It wasn't about any of you guys or the planet. Just a regular nightmare." But now she wondered. The night before her master had died she had had horrible nightmares, and spent most of the night lying awake, too scared to even try to sleep.   
  
Melana nodded, and turned towards the cargo bay. "Melana!" Lotah called. The cat woman had just given her a little information, it was only fair to reciprocate. Or so I tell myself. But since when have I cared what was fair? Or do I just want to protect them? She stopped herself. If she thought about this too much, she'd talk herself out of giving away any information. And I do want to tell her this. I think.   
  
"What?" Melana asked while she was struggling to figure out her own mind.   
  
"It's about Kenneth." Lotah shook her head involuntarily, thinking of the coldness in his eyes. "Don't trust him."  
  
"You said something about that before. Why don't you trust him?"  
  
"I don't know. There's just something wrong with him. He's lying."  
  
"You said that, too. About what?"  
  
"I don't know." Now Lotah was feeling really foolish. Who was she to tell Melana who to trust? And all on an 'odd' feeling. She didn't have any proof, not even any real suspicions. Just a bad feeling.  
  
But Melana just nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him. Anything else?"  
  
Lotah shook her head, amazed that Melana would trust her so easily. Or maybe she's just pretending to agree. I can't always tell with her. "Nothing else."  
  
"Are you going to sleep?"  
  
Lotah shook her head again. "I think I'll wait up."  
  
"You may need your energy tomorrow."  
  
"I never need more than a few hours sleep anyway. I've stayed up for three days in a row with no problems." Lotah nearly hit herself. What the hell was she doing, volunteering information like that?   
  
Melana nodded again. "Good night." She walked into the cargo bay, leaving Lotah alone. She sat down on the couch, rested her elbows on the table and rubbed her temples. This was a dangerous game she was playing. She questioned her own motives every other minute, and she was beginning to get too close to these people. But that annoying voice demanded, What's wrong with finally getting some friends? Who says you can never trust anyone?   
  
That bounty on my head says so, she told the voice.  
  
So what are you going to do, run forever? she asked herself.   
  
With a low moan she buried her head in her arms. What was wrong with her?  
  
-------  
  
When Tian woke up the next morning, Lotah wasn't in the bunk. He got up, pulled on his shoes, strapped on his blaster, and went into the main room. There he found her sitting at the table, staring into space. "Have you been up all night?" he asked.  
  
"Couldn't sleep," she replied, not looking at him. He took a closer look at her, and decided something was wrong. He was getting better at reading her expressions, and from the hollow look in her eyes, something was really bothering her. He also knew her well enough to know that if he asked her about it, she would probably either ignore him or deny everything.  
  
"So what are we going to do today?" he asked, grabbing a nutrient bar. They tasted like something a bantha stepped in, but at least they filled his stomach.   
  
"Probably much of the same. Scout for a while, get some information, then strike. We might actually find what we're looking for here."  
  
"But this is an Imperial-controlled world."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Aren't you nervous?"  
  
"What difference does it make? We've been dealing with criminals on every world we've visited, most of whom would have just as soon killed us as talked to us. This is no more dangerous, no different." But it was different, he could tell from the way that she refused to look him in the eye.  
  
"I guess so. What are we going to dress like?"  
  
"Traders. They're the only ones who aren't natives or Imps on this planet. Not exactly a tourist attraction. Actually, Melana and I are the only ones who have to wear disguises. She doesn't exactly look like a trader, and I'm too memorable."  
  
That reminded him of something. "On Melana's world, you told me that your parents changed your eyes and hair to look like that. But you were raised as a slave..." He mentally kicked himself as he saw her stiffen up at the use of that word. Great going, you idiot. Think you'd know better by now... He hurriedly continued, "... so it wasn't your parents. So why do you look like that?"  
  
"How should I know? Why do you look the way you do? Maybe I'm part alien. Maybe that's why I was sold into slavery. I'm not going to figure it out, so what difference does it make?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, making this the first time she had actually looked at him this morning. "It's all right. I don't like talking about it, and I'm a little grouchy from not enough sleep. I really don't care, though."  
  
He nodded and took a bite of the bar, grimacing. A few minutes later Tiros and Lorb came out of the bunk and started eating breakfast. Melana emerged almost a half-hour later, wearing a shirt and a loose pair of slacks. Her head was covered with a big, floppy hat, and she looked nothing like the warrior he knew her to be. Lorb made a choking sound, covering his mouth with one hand, unsuccessfully trying to hide his smile, and Melana glared at him. That made Tian start to laugh, but he tried to cover it with a cough, also unsuccessfully. Melana glared at him. She was a lot easier to deal with now than she used to be - less stuffy. At least now she had some sense of humor, even if it wasn't particularly evident.   
  
"Get ready," she told Lotah. "We're leaving in fifteen minutes." Lotah nodded and walked into the bunk without a word. Tian frowned. Was it just him, or was something happening between the two women? He watched Melana all through breakfast for some kind of clue, but when nothing happened, he decided it must be all in his mind.   
  
When Lotah came out fifteen minutes later, her eyes were blue and her hair was a uniform dull brown. She was dressed in a loose shirt and black stretch pants, with a blaster at her left hip. She was right-handed, he remembered. "Thought you don't like guns," Lorb said, pointing at the blaster. "Don't use them. Thought you swore."  
  
Lotah didn't even look angry. "It's not charged and I don't intend to use it, but it might make someone think twice about attacking me."  
  
Lorb nodded, but he didn't look happy. Still sore over that earlier incident, probably. "Is everyone ready to go?" Melana asked.  
  
"Am I going?" Kenneth asked.  
  
"You're going to watch the ship until we have a better idea what we're facing on this planet," Melana told him.   
  
"We're facing the entire Imperial fleet, what else?" Tiros muttered.  
  
Melana ignored his comment. "You stay in the ship until we return. Don't go outside for anything, not even to go look at some flower. Do you understand?"  
  
Kenneth frowned but nodded. Melana ignored that too and stood up. "Then lets go." She led the way to the ramp. When the door opened, bright light flooded over them. Tian already had his blaster out of the holster before he realized that this wasn't some sort of an ambush, it was just the sun's natural brightness. He blinked rapidly until the glare died down. And when his eyes cleared, he stared around him.   
  
Hibris was beautiful. As promised, the sky looked like an unending rainbow swirl, with all the colors of the spectrum visible to the human eye chasing each other back and forth across the sky. Much of the plant life was white or cream-colored, but every now and then one plant would pop up, bright blue with orange flowers, or reddish with blue leaves. Everywhere there was color - in the sky, on the ground(the white plants reflecting the sky's color), and in the fields.   
  
Then Tian noticed what was wrong. They were in the middle of a field. In the far distance, two or three kilometers away, he could see the spaceport. What were they doing out here? There were no ships nearby, no houses to indicate that this was some sort of landing sight. Melana murmured, "I've got a bad feeling about this."   
  
"You're not the only one," Tiros said, one hand on his blaster.   
  
They stood silently for a minute. "Well," Tian said, looking around nervously. "Are we going to the city or not?" They started off for the city. It was not a pleasant walk, because each of them was waiting for an ambush around every corner of the road.   
  
When they were under a quarter of a kilometer from the city, Lotah said, "Could they have made a mistake when they sent you the coordinates?"  
  
Tian glanced at his father, then said, "I guess it's possible, but if they sent us that far out of the city by accident, they're the worst traffic controllers I've ever seen." Then he realized the impact of his words, gulped, and fell silent again. They walked into the city, still tense, but nothing happened, other than a local merchant deciding that they would be perfect customers. Finally Lorb glared at him, and the sight of his menacing face convinced the merchant leave them alone, although he shouted insults at their backs.   
  
They wandered around the city for a half-hour, finally sitting down at a bar. "So, what do you think?" Lorb asked.  
  
"Who, me?" Tian asked.  
  
"Whoever." Tian fell silent, thinking the comment hadn't been directed at him. But everyone was staring at him, so he decided he might as well answer.  
  
"I don't think that the traffic controllers gave us those coordinates by accident," he said finally. "I mean, it happens sometimes, but not on an Imperial slave world. That seems just a bit careless, don't you think? Especially if they're catching natives and shipping them off the planet, I don't think they'd want anyone else getting close enough to catch natives without paying for them. It just doesn't feel right."  
  
Tiros shook his head when Melana asked him for his opinion. Either he didn't have one, or he just didn't feel like sharing it yet. Lorb also didn't have an opinion, and Lotah wouldn't say anything. Tian had never seen her this nervous - she kept glancing around the bar, as if she was expecting to be attacked at any moment. If Melana had any opinions, either about Lotah or the planet, she kept them to herself.   
  
They decided to split up after lunch and return to the ship before sunset. Surprisingly, Melana broke from the usual patters and took Lotah with her and told the other three to stay together.   
  
The three of them wandered around the city all day. No one asked them any questions, and their questions were met with glares. Once or twice they saw figures in shabby clothes and with their heads bowed down running up and down the streets, but they never saw one up close. A trader trying to sell them some highly illegal drugs said that they were native slaves before stomping off, disgusted by their lack of interest.   
  
All in all, they found out absolutely nothing of value, saw a lot of stormtroopers, and were tired and footsore by the time they went back to the ship.   
  
Melana and Lotah had a similarly discouraging and fruitless day, and no one was in a good mood when they ate dinner. The only one saying much at all was Kenneth, and he was just complaining about not being allowed to go outside and look at the plants all day. His scratchy voice was extremely irritating, more so because of the silence when he didn't talk.   
  
Tian didn't understand what had happened to the group. Yesterday they had been enthusiastic about finally finding the planet, and excited over the possibilities. Yet they'd only been here one day, and already they were acting as though the mission was a failure. He excused himself from the table and went outside to watch the sunset, which he'd heard was extremely beautiful.   
  
It was phenomenally beautiful, even prettier than the sky during the day. The gases in the atmosphere refracted the sun's light in a thousand different directions, and Tian imagined he could see each individual ray of light bouncing off the clouds. . "It's beautiful," said a soft voice behind him. Tian spun, reflexively reaching for his blaster before he realized that it was Lotah.  
  
"Don't sneak up behind me like that. Someday that's going to get you shot!" he exclaimed, embarrassed that she had snuck up behind him so easily.  
  
"No it won't," she said quietly, stepping up next to him. "In all my traveling, I've never seen anything like this before."  
  
"It is nice," he said, looking down at her face. It was tilted up towards the sky, and she had removed the contacts and hair dyes. For the first time he noticed how the colors reflecting from the sky seemed to blend in with her eyes and hair. It was an odd effect, although not unpleasant.  
  
They were silent for a minute, staring at the sky. Then Tian slowly reached for Lotah's hand. She stiffened when he touched her and started to pull her hand away, but he held on, and after a few moments she stopped pulling away. They stood there for a long time, enjoying the sunset together.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
That night Lotah slept well, but the next morning she was up early (earlier than usual), wandering restlessly around the ship. Lorb woke up soon after her, and ate his breakfast while Lotah walked in circles around the main room. "Are you all right?" he finally asked, staring at her.  
  
"I'm fine," she said automatically, and forced herself to sit down. Something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Extending her senses out beyond the ship, she couldn't feel anyone out there, but the feeling of 'wrongness' increased. Shivering, she pulled back.   
  
Melana emerged from her room a few seconds later, and made a beeline for Lotah. "What were you doing?"  
  
"Nothing. I was just checking outside."  
  
"Is there anyone out there?"  
  
"I don't think so." As soon as she said this, something banged several times on the outside of the hull.  
  
"What the hell..." Lorb said, rising. There was a bang from inside the bunk, and a few seconds later Tian emerged, rubbing his head. Tiros followed him out into the main room.  
  
"Who's the joker? Almost gave myself a concussion jumping out of the bed with all that banging," Tian complained, sitting down.  
  
The banging noise repeated, and everyone looked towards the hatch. "Who is that?" Tiros snapped, drawing his blaster.   
  
"I'll go see," Melana said calmly, but Lotah could feel her apprehension. Her own sense of danger was going crazy, but she didn't see that many options right now.   
  
"We'll come with you, to give you cover," Tiros said, and no one argued. They walked to the hatch. Melana and Lorb stood in the doorway, and Tiros, Tian, and Lotah arranged themselves out of sight around the door. Melana hit the controls, and the door opened and the ramp extended itself.   
  
"Who's there?" Melana called as soon at the door was open.  
  
"My name is Pouli," said a female voice that sent chills down Lotah's spine. She wasn't sure, but she thought that she recognized the voice as that of her former master. "I'd appreciate it if you and the rest of your crew would please come out here."  
  
"Why?" Lotah heard the clang of metal as someone stepped onto the ramp, but neither Melana nor Lorb had moved, so it had to be the woman.  
  
"I believe that you have a fugitive among you," the woman said. Lotah heard another step. "I have some local authorities here to verify this. The ship is surrounded, and above us there is a cruiser with its turbolasers aimed directly at this ship. If you do not come out I will tell that cruiser to open fire."   
  
"What has this fugitive done?" Lotah edged closer to the door. She had to get a look at the visitor, to make sure.   
  
"That is no business of yours," the woman called back. "Come out now or I will tell them to come in." Lotah peeked around the corner and froze. It was her!   
  
Her hesitation cost her. The woman saw her face and shouted, "There she is, grab her!"   
  
Lotah immediately backed away from the door until she hit the wall opposite the hatch. She started to run, but Kenneth appeared in the doorway, asking what was wrong. They ran head-on into each other, and a second later two of the stormtroopers grabbed her by the arms. "Let me go!" They didn't listen to her, dragging her outside and throwing her to the ground at the feet of the woman.  
  
One of them planted a blaster at the base of her neck. "Don't move."   
  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" Tian shouted, running down the ramp, his blaster drawn. In a second he would do something stupid, and they would shoot him. She reached out and turned on the safety on his gun. Tian pulled the trigger, nothing happened, and then he noticed the half-dozen heavy-duty blasters aimed at his chest. He dropped his own blaster and raised his hands in the air.   
  
"Send everyone else out here now or I'll have your ship destroyed!" A few seconds later, everyone came down the ramp, unarmed. The woman looked at Tian. "Now, as to what I think I'm doing, I'm taking back what is rightfully mine. This, this thing," she nudged Lotah with her boot, "Is an escaped slave. I've been hunting for her for almost a year, and now that I've found her, I intend to keep her."  
  
"What about us?" Lorb asked.  
  
"I don't care about you," the woman said. She's lying! Lotah realized. It's something about Melana... she's going to kill them! "These fine men will make sure you don't do anything stupid until we're well away. Then they let you go. I suggest you leave this planet immediately afterwards, the authorities will find you soon enough." She glanced down at Lotah, then nodded to the trooper. The gun was removed, and Lotah was jerked to her feet. One of the troopers fitted a rough metal collar around her neck. A chain trailed from it to the ground. "Bring her," the woman said, and two men, not stormtroopers, grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the ship.   
  
All this time Lotah had been silent, dazed at the sudden reversal in her fortune. She felt numb, stumbling away from her friends and her freedom. Then a cloaked figure approached her, one she hadn't noticed before. It was a man, middle aged and with a friendly face. He leaned close to her and murmured, "So glad to meet you face to face at last." Then Lotah felt the strange presence in her mind, the same one she remembered after fleeing Op's house.   
  
She stopped short. "What do you want?" she whispered. "He's dead."  
  
"But I don't want him. I want you." He reached into her mind again, and she was powerless to fight back. He reached out with one hand to touch her face, and the instant his fingers brushed her flesh, she could feel all the evil he'd done rushing out to claw at her mind. Jerking her face back, she broke the contact, and at the same time got control of herself again.   
  
He was evil. It was just as simple as that. And evil should not be tolerated, especially with power such as he possessed - that much of Op's lessons had been clear. Lotah looked around her. They were still only about twenty meters from the ship, fifteen from her friends. She was only ten feet from the nearest stormtrooper, and neither of the men holding her were armed. This might be her only attempt to eliminate him. She could always escape later, as long as she was alive and her mind was her own she could try. But if he remained, he'd destroy her and everything else that he touched, one way or another. "What are you looking at?" the woman asked, sparing only a glance towards the man. "You belong to me now."  
  
"No," Lotah said quietly, and with a quick motion, threw off both of the men who were holding her. She turned towards the ship and grabbed the gun from the hands of the nearest guard. It flew to her hand, and she turned... The man was standing there, a big grin on his face.  
  
"Shoot me. I'll die, and so will you." Again she hesitated, the blaster pointed slightly to one side - she'd never actually killed anyone, not ever. What he said was true - she would die. But I've been a slave before - what kind of life was that? It's worth my life to kill him, I think. Op would tell me to do what feels right.   
  
"It's worth it," she murmured. She aimed the blaster and started to pull the trigger. Something hit her in the back, and she blacked out, her own shot going harmlessly into the dirt.   
  
----------------------------------  
  
The woman had actually been truthful - twenty minutes after the woman had taken Lotah away, the stormtroopers got into a sled and drove away. Of course the cruiser could still be waiting in orbit to blast them, but there was nothing they could do about that anyway, so it wasn't worth bothering about.   
  
Melana had spent the last twenty minutes planning. There was no way that she was going to sit by and allow Lotah to be treated like so much cargo to be sold. The girl showed tremendous potential for becoming a Jedi, but even if she hadn't, she'd been completely loyal during the trip, and had risked her life multiple times to help Melana succeed in her quest. There was no code of honor that would have her abandon Lotah at this point.   
  
As soon as the troopers left, she ran up the ramp and collected her blaster, a strong rope, and a short dagger. A second later, she picked up Lotah's knives, which were lying on the floor under her bunk. On her way out of the ship she met everyone else, going in. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tiros asked.  
  
"I'm going after her," Melana told him.  
  
"Are you crazy?! Whoever that woman is, she's got connections to the Imperial navy, if she got a bunch of stormtroopers out here just to pick up her slave. And we're on an Imperial world, if you forgot. She's probably off-planet by now!"  
  
"They took her to the local jail," Melana told him. "They're waiting for something."  
  
"For what? And how the hell do you know where they're taking her?"  
  
"I don't know, and it's a long story. Wait here. I'll be back by tomorrow morning or not at all. If you see anyone coming on the sensors, get ready to move. If any stormtroopers come back here, get out if you can. All right?"  
  
"What are you planning to do?"  
  
"I'm going to rescue her."  
  
"That's crazy!" Tiros exploded. "We're lucky that they didn't shoot us for harboring an escaped slave! The law is on their side this time! What you're talking about is suicide!"  
  
Melana glanced around the group. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have cared what they thought, but now she was willing to listen to them, at least, before she left. Lorb was obviously more worried about Cahi the ship than Lotah, although to his credit he did look worried. Tiros was obviously on the side of leaving right away - Melana had noticed that he was no longer referring to Lotah by her name, just calling her 'the slave.' It was as if he had already written her off in his mind. Tian was clearly torn between his desire to side with his father and his fondness for Lotah.   
  
"She saved your son's life," Melana pointed out. "Lotah risked her own freedom to come here with us."  
  
"But she's still an escaped slave," Tiros murmured.  
  
"Does she deserve to be abandoned?" Melana countered. "I will be back by tomorrow afternoon or not at all. You may do as you see fit with the ship. I hope it will still be waiting for us when we come back." And with that, she turned and ran full speed towards the city.  
  
--------------------------------  
  
They hadn't taken Lotah off planet immediately. When she woke up from the stun shot, she was lying on a cot in a jail on the surface of the planet. They're going to kill Melana, and Tian, and the others. And I can't even warn them. For several hours, she saw no one at all. Then he arrived.  
He was still wearing that cloak, and now carried a length of chain and a blaster. It was then that Lotah noticed the chain that had been attached to the collar around her throat was gone. She backed up into a corner of the cell, holding her hands out in front of her. He wasn't going to attach that thing to her throat without a fight. She still remembered her decision back by the ship, that it was worth her own life to kill him, but it was pointless to get herself killed before she had another chance. Even now her mind was absorbing all the information she had, dismissing the earlier failure and looking towards the future.   
"You may be wondering why you're down here instead of on that ship," he finally said, not moving towards her. "The traders believe that we picked you up for brawling in a local bar, and the natives are useless, so don't expect any help there. And everyone else on this planet is either working for the Empire or part of it. Don't expect any rescue. Your friends were killed right after we left." He's lying about them being dead. I know he's planning to kill them, but why bother lying to me about it now? "The reason you're down here is that here my connection to the Force is stronger, as I suspect yours is. Down here on a planet full of life, instead of a void my powers are greater. It will make the training easier." He reached into her mind again. Lotah opened herself to the Force and blocked him.  
  
"You've gotten stronger since we last met."  
  
"You killed Op."  
  
"That I did, and in the process found you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because the Empire needs more people who can use the Force."  
  
"I won't work for the Empire."  
  
"Don't be so certain. You will gladly work for the Empire, once your training is complete. Did you know that the training that little thing you call Op gave you is actually more than that Cat woman's training?" Lotah refused to comment. "I wonder, did you even know that she was trained in the Force? She spent the last year of her life at that Jedi Academy. Pathetic, isn't it? She had to hire all those sad little mercenaries just to find the planet where the id is grown." Lotah tried to mask her surprise at this statement and failed. "Oh, yes, I knew about that vengeful search of hers. The saddest part is that she'll never know that our people ordered her mother killed, to draw her out into the open. It's almost funny when you think about it. If she hadn't gone to become a Jedi, her mother might have succeeded in uniting the people of that planet against us and driving us off the planet. We would never have seen it in time. But because she was a Jedi, we stopped the movement before it started, and in a few years we'll have that planet as cowed as this one!" But they aren't dead yet - I would know. So there's still a chance I can stop you and save them, if not myself. "Well, have you nothing to say about this grand scheme?"  
  
Lotah carefully controlled her face and voice. "I think it's just delightful to hear about the wonderful plans of the Empire, but I was wondering if you were ever going to get to the point, or just sit around talking about how perfect everything is working out for you?"  
  
He stared at her for a moment, and she touched his mind for a second, then drew back. He's surprised about something. My lack of grief over my friend's deaths? Or something else?  
  
"The point, Lotah, is that you will be there to see it happen. You will happily order hundreds of thousands into slavery, and will kill any that resist. And you will enjoy doing it."  
  
"You're crazy."  
  
"Most prophets were considered crazy in their own day. I've seen the power and mad genius of a Dark Jedi. That path is not my destiny, but it can be yours. Once someone steps onto the Dark path for the first time, it is easier and easier to return. I can help you make that first step."  
  
"I won't do it. You can't make me."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Tian strode back and forth across the bunk. He knew his father was doing the same thing out in the main room. "Are you all right, kid?" Lorb asked.   
  
"No."  
  
"Wanna talk about it?"  
  
"Do you want to hear about it?"  
  
"Not really, but it would be better than listening to you walking back and forth for the next twenty hours." Lorb looked completely at ease, lying on his side in his bunk, playing with a very large knife. In the last half-hour, he had started a contest with himself. He would toss the knife in the air and have it spin end-over-end once, then catch it. Then he'd throw it up again and have it spin end-over-end twice before catching it, and so on. If he didn't spin it enough times or dropped it, he started all over again. So far his record was seven revolutions.  
  
"She lied to me!" the words exploded out of Tian's mouth. "She said that she'd been set free, not that she ran away! All this time people have been hunting her, and she didn't even tell me! It's just, I... I thought she trusted me more than that!"  
  
"Maybe that's why she didn't tell you."  
  
"If she trusted me at all, even if she liked me at all, she should have told me. I wouldn't have told anyone."  
  
"Like I said, she probably had a good reason not to tell you."  
  
"What reason?! If you're friends with a person, you tell them your secrets. She was in danger all of this time, and she risked her life for me, but she never told me! How could she?!"  
  
"Boy! Listen to me! Did it ever occur to you that she did like you, and that was the reason that she didn't tell you? Look at this from her point of view. She's an escaped slave - never known any other life but that of a slave - certainly never had friends. People were hunting her, and she knew it. She may have been trying to protect you, keep you from getting hurt because of her. Or she might have thought that if you knew what she was, that you wouldn't like her anymore."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"I don't know - you're the one who was friends with her. Look, whatever she did, she had reasons for it. I don't know her that well, but I do know that she never did anything without a reason, and a damn good one at that. If you don't know that, you didn't know her at all. Just think about that, and be glad that she lied to you to keep you out of trouble, rather than getting you into it." He fell into a broody silence, and Tian remembered that Lorb's first partner had kept a secret from him that almost got him killed. He certainly hadn't kept that secret out of friendship.  
  
Tian thought about it for a minute. Then he said, "You think that Melana will bring her back?"  
  
"I don't know - maybe. I guess that if anyone can do it, that woman can. Lotah's not the only one who's been hiding stuff from us." Tian remembered the way that the stormtrooper's gun had flown to Lotah's hand, the same way the shirt had on the first day. "On the other hand, she may get herself killed, or captured. Or she may fail, but decide not to come back. She's from a planet a lot like this one - she could just disappear and survive on her own for years here. We'd certainly never find her. Whatever she does, we're stuck here until tomorrow afternoon. I'm kind of surprised that your dad agreed to that."  
  
"Me too." Tian decided that he wanted to go talk to his father.  
  
Tiros was in the main room, pacing back and forth. "Hi, Dad," Tian said quietly. Tiros paused in his pacing long enough to give Tian a weak smile, then went back to the business of wearing a trench in the floor. "Dad, you want to talk? It might help."  
  
Tiros grunted in surprise. "About what?"  
  
"Whatever's bothering you. It helps to get it off your chest."   
  
Tiros actually stopped pacing. "When'd you get so smart?"  
  
Tian shrugged. "Actually, it was Lorb's idea. So what's bugging you, other than the fact that we might all end up dead? That's nothing new."  
  
"It's about that girlfriend of yours. I think I recognized that trick of hers - the Empire has been trying to wipe out people like her since before you were worn."  
  
"People like who?" Tian asked, but Tiros continued as if he hadn't heard.  
  
"If she is one of them, there's very little chance that Melana will return. When the Empire dedicates itself to wiping out a people, they're very thorough. That's what I'm worried about. We've been in dangerous situations before, but I've always avoided going head-to-head with the Empire. Now, all of a sudden, we've just been launched to the top of the list of people the Empire wants to kill, exactly what I've been trying to avoid. I don't even think that Melana knows the danger, and she ran off before I could tell her."  
  
"Why would they want to kill us?"  
  
"Do you even need to ask?" Tiros raised a hand and started ticking off reasons. "First, we've found a definite connection between the Malachite Poisoners and the Empire. Second, we've managed to sneak onto an Imperial slave planet near the New Republic's territory. Third, we've had contact with the girl. When I say that they're trying to eliminate her kind, I mean that they're trying to eliminate everyone who ever heard about them or met them, which includes us."  
  
"So why are we staying?"  
  
"'Cause Melana's right. Lotah doesn't deserve to be hauled off in chains to be a slave for the rest of her life. She may not be the most wonderful person I've ever met, but she's certainly not the worst. She saved your life, so she at least deserves that we attempt to do the same. We'll wait until tomorrow afternoon, no longer."   
  
There was a muffled thud from the bunk. "Lorb?" Tian called. "Are you all right?" No answer. "Kenneth? What happened?"  
  
Kenneth stepped into the main room. In his hand he held a small blaster, which he promptly used to shoot Tiros. Tian just had the time to identify the blue of a stun-beam when Kenneth turned and shot him.  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. XI

Lotah collapsed across the small bed in her cell. Actually, the two stormtroopers sort of threw her at it, and she didn't have the energy to stop her fall. Everything hurt.  
  
That man - his name was still unknown to her - was convinced that her ability to use her powers was directly connected to her ability to concentrate. He might be right. And there was nothing that broke a sentinent's concentration, he told her gleefully, as well as pain. So he had taken her to this small room, stuck a bunch of electrodes on her head, and proceeded to try to break her concentration and get into her mind.  
  
He had almost succeeded. Actually, in a way, he had. She couldn't afford to protect all of her mind, so she let him in to see certain parts, but not her secrets. And it worked, sort of. He didn't try to probe past the few memories that she let him see, but he did force every detail about those memories out of her mind. Then he had stopped, and sent her back here. If he had continued much longer she would have given in to him, she knew it.  
  
The first time she really broke he'd have all her secrets. She could still resist him, but every time he entered her mind, it would grow easier and easier to just let him. This first session had already told her that much. Sooner or later she just would give up resisting, and then he'd get her to do whatever he wanted. Rolling over, she reached for the Force and let it run through her body. It helped a little. Op had mentioned techniques using the Force that were used to control pain, but he had never got around to teaching her.   
  
It wasn't the pain that she feared - Lotah had been injured many times, and she had learned to put pain out of her mind, at least temporarily, to finish whatever she had set out to do. But she wasn't trying to do anything here, and there was no injury to ignore. Just waves and waves of pain, and with each of them, that mind probe. That was what she really feared - loosing herself to him, loosing her mind.  
  
Lotah felt like crying, but controlled herself. Don't let them see any weakness, or they'll know how easily I could break. There had to be something she could do. She hadn't survived all this time, all those dangers just to end here. There had to be something.  
  
The door opened, and for one terrifying moment Lotah thought that they had decided to take her back to him. Then she saw the hooded figure walk in carrying a tray of food, and she relaxed. It's one of the slaves. Under other circumstances she would have been angry with the Imps for even having slaves, for subjecting another being to a life like this, but right now she didn't have much energy left to get angry.   
  
The slave walked into the room with his - her? head down and set the tray on the floor. Then he/she walked into the corner of the room and sat down, head still pointed at the floor. Lotah stiffened. No matter what happened, she was never going to be the master of a slave as long as her mind was still hers. "Hey, it's all right," she said, getting to her feet. The effort made her head spin, but she pushed the dizziness back and walked to the corner. "It's all right, come on, sit here." She took it by the hand and led it to the cot, pushing it into a sitting position. Then she picked up the tray of food and sat down next to it on the cot.   
  
While she was walking around, the slave had first looked at her, but now it was staring. Even though she couldn't see its eyes, she could feel it. "Kiesha?" the slave whispered, and pulled the hood back from its face.   
  
It was a young man, several inches taller than her, with pale skin and bright blue eyes. He looked familiar, although she couldn't remember where she'd seen him. Until she saw the hair. His dark brown hair was streaked with blue stripes. Just like her own. "Who are you?" she hissed, well aware that there were probably bugs in the room.   
  
"You don't remember?" he asked in smooth Basic. There was a strange light in his eyes, and excitement triggered by her existence that she couldn't understand.  
  
"Remember what? Who are you? And why do you look like that?"  
  
"All of us look like this," he answered in a whisper. "And my name is Dowla Chin'ka'rel, but you may call me Dowla. You are the first of us to return."  
  
"The first of who? Who's 'us'?" she asked.  
  
"The first of our people," he replied promptly.   
  
"Who?"  
  
"The people of this planet."  
  
"The... the what?" There was something important here, something that Lotah was missing because her head refused to stop throbbing.  
  
"Don't you understand? You are the first of us to ever return after being taken away! What is your name?"  
  
"Wait a second! I... I'm an orphan. I don't have a native planet."  
  
"You truly don't remember?" he asked, eyes wide.  
  
"Remember what?"  
  
"Your home!"  
  
Lotah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts. "You mean, you think I'm a native of this planet?"  
  
"Why else would you look the way you do? None of the off-worlders do."  
  
"I was sold into slavery when I was very young."  
  
"Many of us are," he said quietly, reminding her that he was a slave. So was she.  
  
"What do you mean I'm the first to return?"  
  
"Just what I said. No one who left our planet ever returned."  
  
"Well, I'm afraid that I'm not going to be here long. They're going to take me away again." She tried to stifle the excitement that rose up within her. There are other people like me.   
  
"Who are you? The off-worlders said that you were arrested for fighting, but I don't believe it."  
  
"Smart of you. It isn't true." Lotah realized that she had automatically fallen back into the habits she had picked up while on the run. Staying cold, distant... for a while it had looked like she could leave all that behind her. I can never leave it behind. She pulled herself back to the present. "I escaped from my master and ended up here, and they caught me again. I'm Lotah."  
  
If it was possible, his eyes got even wider. "You... escaped?"  
  
"Yes...so?" Lotah didn't see what he was getting so excited about.   
  
"I will help you escape."  
  
His ready promise of assistance made her suspicious. "Why would you help me?"  
  
"Because we need one like you. No one else ever escaped." His voice dropped.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because it's not done." Before she could figure out what that meant, he pulled the hood back up over his face. "Eat now," he said, his voice partially muffled by the hood. "I'll be back tomorrow," he said out loud, and then in a whisper, "to help you escape." Then he went back to the corner and sat down. Lotah ate the meager meal in silence. 'It's not done?' What in the universe does that mean?  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Melana studied the front door of the jail from her seat by the window in yet another bar. The place was well fortified. It would be just as hard to break in as to break out. There were sensors everywhere, and only one door, as far as she could tell, in and out. The jail wasn't that well defended, but it didn't have to be. Thick walls and a few stormtroopers were enough defenses to hold the jail against most sort of attacks. But if it wasn't an attack?  
  
So far Melana had found out that Lotah was being held on charges of destruction of property and disorderly conduct in the jail. She also believed that the guards and people in charge of the jail had not been informed of the true reason that Lotah was being held. In this case their ignorance would be to her advantage. Tomorrow, during the daytime, in full view of the guards, she was going to walk into the jail to pay a visit to her jailed friend. Once she met up with Lotah, she could help them escape. It shouldn't be too difficult - after all, there were only a few guards. And they had the Force as their ally.  
  
Don't get overconfident, she reminded herself, draining the last of the drink. Now she could find a comfortable rooftop to rest on until the morning, hopefully inaccessible to storm troopers and secure from snooping eyes. She had a few hours left until sunset - she might as well find a spot to hide now. There was no use in waiting until it was dark out to find a safe spot. Then she would have to wait.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Captain Randel summoned Pol up from the surface. He didn't arrive until it was almost dawn on the planet. When he arrived, she had already been waiting for over an hour, and she made no attempt to hide her anger. "What are you doing?" she demanded.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, seating himself without asking her permission. This gesture of contempt for her authority only served to enrage her further.  
  
"You followed me down to the surface, and now I've been informed that instead of bringing her to the ship right away, you're holding her in the local prison? I demand you bring her up to the ship immediately!"  
  
"You are not in the position to make such demands," Pol said coldly. "Your job was only to find her, and to turn her over to me. Now it is my job to turn her, and your job to see that I am undisturbed. The process will take that much longer if I continue to make these pointless trips from here to the surface and back."  
  
"Bring her to the ship and you will not have that problem," Randel struggled to keep her voice civil.  
  
Pol stood up and walked around the room. "Compared to any Jedi Master, or even one of the Emperor's henchmen, my sense of the Force is very weak. Unless I am on a planet, with life and death all around me, I cannot force my way into her mind. Her touch with the Force would be undiminished if she were brought here, while my powers would be greatly weakened." Randel filed that information away for future reference - it could be useful. "I will bring her to the ship as soon as she is sufficiently broken so that she is no danger to us."  
  
"And you are leaving her in the local prison?"  
  
"The planet is still very primitive - the locals didn't even have any sort of centralized government until we arrived. The prison is the only structure capable of holding her. It doesn't matter, the local troops don't even know who she is. The prison is simple, but quite adequate. There's no danger of her escaping - she is completely alone, a fact which I will make eminently clear to her."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Randel drawled, enjoying the fact that she knew something that this obnoxious, officious, arrogant man did not. "Their ship hasn't left the planet's surface yet, and the cat woman was seen entering the port late yesterday."  
  
Pol was instantly on his feet. "The Jedi apprentice? Why was I not told earlier?"  
  
"We already have an agent among those she trusts. He has undoubtedly struck by now. He will contact us by eleven hundred hours, standard time, to tell us of his success."  
  
"I must go down the surface immediately."  
  
"I'm afraid I must insist that you stay here until we are contacted. I do realize that you are in charge of the girl's training, but for you to go down too soon could risk our agent's life. Once he has contacted us to confirm the Jedi's death, then you may go down."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Tian woke up with a groan. His head was throbbing, and his entire body felt stiff. Then he remembered what had happened. Kenneth! He tried to sit up.  
  
His arms were bound behind him with rope, and he feet were tied together. He was lying on his bunk, and he could see his father and Lorb, each bound similarly, on their own bunks. Tian flexed his wrists experimentally, to see if he could break the ropes, which were rather thin, or wiggle his hands loose. No such luck. Whoever had tied him knew what they were doing. But, Kenneth? Little, wormy, Kenneth? He couldn't be responsible for this. But Tian's memories told otherwise.   
  
Twisting around, he saw that his feet had been bound with torn-up strips of the sheets that had been on Kenneth's bed. He tried to shift his wrists ever so slightly. Right now the scales weren't rubbing against he sheets, but in a few minutes he changed that. Past experience had taught him that the scales were very hard and fairly sharp. If he could rub the sheets hard enough with the edge of his scales, he might be able to tear them a little. And that might be enough for him to get free.  
  
While he was occupied with that, his father and Lorb woke up. "What's going on?" Tiros asked, shaking his head.  
  
"That little weasel," Lorb growled in response.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That little, bantha-kissing, nerf-herding weasel!" Lorb growled. "Kenneth! He shot me!"  
  
"Kenneth?!" Tiros was incredulous. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Don't sound so surprised, Tiros," Kenneth said, entering the bunk. His voice was as scratchy as ever, but the indecision, the whiny sound was gone.   
  
"Kenneth! What do you think you're doing!" Tiros demanded, just as though it was Kenneth who was helpless instead of the other way around. By then Tian had managed to get his scales against the strips, and was quietly rubbing. So far he couldn't feel anything changing, but it was the only chance he had to get free.  
  
"I'm setting a trap in case Melana returns. Which I doubt will happen. She's setting herself against the entire Imperial navy. The more fool she is."   
  
"A trap? Why? What do you want with her?"  
  
"She's an enemy of the Empire," Kenneth answered. He knelt beside one of the beds and pulled out a small case. Inside were several fusion bombs, a blaster and several spare charge packs. "All enemies of the Empire must die." He sounded like he was repeating an order.  
  
"What does the Empire want with a woman from a primitive planet?" Tian asked, trying to keep him talking. He felt the slightest loosening in the ropes around his wrists. If he had any doubts that Kenneth was responsible, that last statement dispelled them. He was convinced that Kenneth would kill them as soon as it was convenient.   
  
"You weren't paying much attention, boy. When Melana took you to her home, she was *returning* after a long absence. She spent the last year at the Jedi Academy." He tucked the extra power packs into his belt, but left the bombs alone.   
  
"A Jedi?" Tiros asked. "But I thought..." he fell silent.  
  
"You thought what, old man?" Kenneth asked. When Tiros didn't answer, Kenneth walked over and punched him in the stomach. Hard.   
  
"You're an assassin," Tian said, looking at the speed and accuracy with which Kenneth delivered the blow. His hands were almost free. "Hunting Jedi." He couldn't remember where he'd heard the term before, but it sounded hauntingly familiar.   
  
"Very good," Kenneth said sarcastically. "Maybe I won't kill you when this is over. Maybe I'll just turn you over to the Empire for training. You're still young enough to respond well, if given the proper stimuli." He took the blaster from his bunk, where it had been resting. "I had been thinking about keeping you all alive, to be sold as slaves, but on second thought, I don't think that my superiors would approve." He turned and aimed his blaster at Tiros. "You're too well known, too resourceful. Couldn't be certain that you wouldn't escape and start talking. Good-bye."  
  
"No!" Tian shouted, but Kenneth only smiled.  
  
There was a small thump from the other room, then the sound of breaking glass. Kenneth spun from his intended target, instantly on edge, his blaster pointed at the door. There was another crash. "Who is that?" Kenneth muttered, slamming the lid closed on the case. Tian heard a click as it locked.   
  
Disregarding the case, Kenneth sneaked up to the door. Everyone lay still, and the ship was deathly quiet. Then there was a mocking laugh, and a giggle, coming from the other room. Kenneth shot a glance at his prisoners, then ran out of the room. Tian took the opportunity to flex his muscles again, and this time the ropes came loose, frayed as they were from the rubbing. He sat up silently and untied his ankles. He got up to untie his father when he heard a footstep outside the door. An instant before it opened he grabbed the case, and as it opened he threw it as hard as he could at Kenneth's head.   
  
The assassin had only a half-second's warning before the heavy object hit his head, but it was long enough for him to raise one arm to partially deflect the blow. He stumbled backwards, momentarily stunned, and Tian leaped at him. He had to get the gun, or they didn't have a chance.   
  
Kenneth was heavier and stronger than he looked. Tian's momentum carried him into the older man, pushing both of them out into the hall, then it worked against him as Kenneth spun them around, slamming him into a bulkhead. Tian got the wind knocked out of him but hung on to Kenneth's gun hand, pointing it away from himself. He realized that Kenneth was a trained assassin, and that he probably had no chance, even if he did manage to get Kenneth to drop the gun, which seemed unlikely. He shoved, and managed to get the blaster pointed towards the ceiling, but no closer to Kenneth.   
  
Suddenly a red beam of light shot across the room and knocked the blaster out of Kenneth's hand. What the... Tian didn't question his good fortune, and kicked at Kenneth's knee, trying to take out one leg. No such luck. Kenneth, who obviously had more fighting experience than Tian did, shifted his weight to avoid the blow, then spun and slammed Tian into another bulkhead, leaving his head spinning. As Tian stood still for a second, stunned, Kenneth kicked Tian, and successfully completed the maneuver Tian had failed at a few seconds earlier. Pain exploded in his right knee, and the leg dropped out from under him. Tian fell to one knee, but he swung at Kenneth and managed to connect with the assassin's chin.   
  
Kenneth stumbled backwards, and Tian fell to all fours, gasping for air. "Tian!" shouted a woman's voice. "The gun! Right in front of you!"  
  
Tian forced his eyes open and saw Kenneth's fallen blaster, lying on the floor a few feet in front of him. He dove for it as Kenneth recovered and raised his foot to kick Tian's head. Tian's fingers closed around the handle, he rolled onto his back, raised the gun, and fired. Suddenly Kenneth stopped, an odd expression on his face. Then he fell, his body partially landing across Tian's. He didn't move.  
  
His breath still coming in quick gasps, Tian used the muzzle of the blaster to roll Kenneth over. He had been shot very neatly in the chest, and although he wasn't quiet dead, there wasn't a medical facility in the universe that could save him, even if Tian had felt like trying to save him, which he didn't. As Tian watched, Kenneth died.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
"Tian? Are you all right?" his father's voice called from the bunk.   
  
"I'm OK." Tian tried to stand up, but his right leg was useless, and if he tried to put any weight on it, the pain almost caused him to black out. It took several minutes, but he managed to stand up, using the wall as a crutch. Holding the blaster in one hand and leaning against the wall with the other, he hopped back to the bunk.   
  
His father and Lorb were still lying on the beds. Tian hopped over to his father's bed, sat down, and untied him. "What happened?" Tiros asked, rubbing his wrists. He got up and untied Lorb. "Where's Kenneth?"  
  
"He's dead. I shot him," Tian said, feeling kind of numb. He looked down at his own knee and noticed it swelling up. He wondered whether it was broken, dislocated or just really badly sprained. Right now he was betting on the first option. This was the first time that he had to kill someone he knew, or at least thought he knew. Then he remembered the female voice that told him where to find the gun, and the blast that had knocked the gun out of Kenneth's hand in the first place. "Where is she?"  
  
"Where is who?" Tiros asked. Lorb had gone into the hall.  
  
"The woman."  
  
"Melana?"  
  
"No. There was another woman. Not Lotah or Melana. I've never heard her voice before."  
  
"Son, there's no one else here."  
  
"But I heard her! She told me where the gun was, and she shot the gun out of his hand in the first place!"  
  
"Tian, if there were anyone here with a gun on our side, they would have shot Kenneth, not just his gun, don't you think? Much simpler than having you shoot him. He must have just dropped the gun."  
  
"But I heard her!"  
  
"I... I know who she is," Lorb said, coming back into the room. His lips were set in a thin line, although he didn't look at all sickened by the body out there. "Cahi?" he asked, looking at the communications screen.  
  
The face of a young woman, quite pretty, appeared on the screen. Tian frowned. They weren't receiving any communications. "Yes, Lorb?" Tian instantly recognized the voice.   
  
"You're the one who told me where the gun was! Who are you?"  
  
"Lorb?" the girl looked at the mercenary, a worried expression on her face. Tian was surprised to see that Lorb's expression mirrored the girl's.  
  
"It's all right. You can tell them. They have a right to know."  
  
The girl raised her chin slightly. "I'm Cahi. Computer And Human Interaction. Cahi."  
  
"You're a program in the ship's computer?"  
  
The girl...program looked upset. "I am the ship's computer."  
  
"Like a droid?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us she existed?" Tiros asked Lorb.  
  
"We were afraid you wouldn't like the idea of flying a ship that had a personality."  
  
Tian was still trying to piece together what had happened. "You told me where the gun was."  
  
"Yes." Cahi looked serious.  
  
"And you shot it out of his hand in the first place."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How did you shoot the gun? And why didn't you shoot him?"  
  
"Lorb installed several low-power lasers and gave me control of them. We figured that I could be my own security system. But I was checking over my systems, and there's a built-in guard that doesn't allow me to hurt a living creature. I meant to tell Lorb about it, but I forgot. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's all right," Lorb murmured, and Tian was surprised again at the compassion in his face. Did he actually care for this... this thing?  
  
Then Tian was forced to admit that if it weren't for 'this thing', they would probably all be dead. "So you shot his gun, and helped me however you could." Another thought occurred to him. "Did you make some noise out here earlier, to draw his attention?"  
  
Cahi nodded. "I didn't want him to hurt you. Sorry I didn't find him sooner."  
  
Tiros didn't look happy at the thought of being saved by a computer, but he did mutter, "Thanks a lot." He bent by Tian's knee. "Looks broken."  
  
"Great," Tian said, leaning back against the wall. Now that his adrenaline rush was going away, his knee was really hurting.  
  
"Cahi, did you know that Melana was one of these Jedi?" Lorb asked, grabbing a first aid kit and handing it to Tiros. "How's the kid at healing broken bones?" he added, looking at Tian's knee.  
  
"A week or two, depending on how well we set it and whether or not it gets infected," Tiros muttered, gently probing the joint. Tian bit his lip, trying not to scream.  
  
"I knew," Cahi said, staring at Tian. "Do you want me to call for a doctor or something? I have some medical records on file, would that help?"  
  
"Don't call anyone," Lorb said.  
  
"Do you have anything on setting broken bones? I don't think his kneecap is broken, I think it's the bone right beneath it," Tiros said, staring at Tian's knee. It was now swollen to two or three times it's normal size.   
  
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Tian asked through gritted teeth.  
  
"Well, it'll heal faster, and the joint won't get damaged, but it's going to hurt a whole lot more when I set it." Tiros looked doubtfully at Tian's leg. "I trained as a medic for a few months, but if she can find any medical files, that would make me feel a whole lot better."  
  
"Great," Tian said again.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? And how did you know?" Lorb asked Cahi. Tian found it easier just to think of her as another person, rather than the entire ship. And she had saved their lives. That counted for a lot. She couldn't help being what she was, and he wasn't going to prove to the universe what an idiot he was by rejecting something - someone - just because they were different. The stars knew he'd had enough troubles because he was different.  
  
Tiros' eyes met his, and Tian realized that his father was having similar thoughts. "I never thanked you, Cahi," Tian said with a weak smile. Tiros injected him with something, and the pain in his leg eased. Actually, the leg went numb, but the pain wasn't there anymore, so Tian wasn't complaining.  
  
Cahi's face lit up as if Tian had just told her she had been elected President of the Republic. "You're welcome, Tian. Here's that information." Her face disappeared and a three dimensional hologram emerged from the wall, showing the shape and dimensions of a human knee. Words scrawled down the wall behind the image.   
  
Despite the fact that her face was gone, Cahi kept talking. "Melana bought me from the Academy, who got me really cheep from the Republic, because no one wanted to have a ship with a personality, or spend the money to replace the central computer." Tian remembered how Lotah had taught about not being in control of her own life, about being bought and sold. How much more so for Cahi, who literally had no control over her own body without permission.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Melana asked me not to. Jedi apprentices aren't much appreciated in many parts of the galaxy, at least not yet. She didn't want to cause any trouble."  
  
"She's an apprentice?" Tian asked, remembering where he had heard of Jedi before. Luke Skywalker was one of them, and he was the one who opened up the Jedi training Academy.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Is that what she was talking about when she said that she just knew they weren't taking Lotah off planet? Did she sense it or something?" Tian asked, trying to take his mind off the image in front of him. Despite the medicine, it was going to hurt when his father set his leg, and he didn't want to think about it. Also, for the first time he had some real hope that Melana might actually succeed in bringing Lotah back.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Lorb walked to the door and looked out into the hall again. "What are we going to do with him? We can't just leave the body in the hall."  
  
"I'll help you move it as soon as I'm done here," Tiros said, turning to Tian's leg. "Come on, hold him still," he gestured for Lorb to come hold Tian's leg. Lorb took hold of Tian's leg above the injury, holding the rest of his body down with the other hand. "Tian, hang on. This is going to hurt..."  
  
-------------------------------  
  
Lotah woke up when the lights came on in her room. Almost instantly a slave came into the room, depositing a tray of food on the floor. Lotah looked into the hood, but couldn't see more than two green-gray eyes staring at her. The slave left without a word. They must be really short on trained guards if they have slaves doing all of the work tending to prisoners. They didn't even have a guard at my door when they dropped off the food. Lotah realized that on some level, she was still analyzing, trying to find some way to escape. She could try rushing out when the slave came to take her food away, but she had a hard time believing that the people who ran this place would be that stupid. There had to be a guard or two standing at the end of the hall, where they would have an easy shot at anyone who tried to escape. It would have been nice if it were that easy, though.   
  
I might want to try escaping that way anyway. It would end the pain, and he wouldn't have a chance at turning me. Lotah decided to wait until she was a little more desperate before she tried that method.   
  
She ate the food. It probably wasn't poisoned. They had her, there was no reason for them to try to kill her secretly. Likewise there was no reason for them to try to sneak some sort of drug into her. If they wanted to do that they could just stick a needle in her. And if it was poisoned... well, she had already considered that option in her mind. It probably wasn't poisoned, anyway.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, a slave came back in to take the tray away. As the door opened to admit the slave, Lotah saw a stormtrooper standing a little ways down the hall. Looked like her earlier guess had been correct.  
  
With nothing else to do, Lotah meditated. With the craziness that usually surrounded her, she never had much time to meditate, although Op said that is was a good way to maintain one's energy and focus. Things were still crazy, but she now had the time she had always lacked. Meditating did make her feel better, more in touch with the Force. She kept her mind focused by picking up the cot, and turning it over in the air. Now that she had her mind clear again, she remembered something odd from the confrontation back on Enistap.   
  
She had thrown that woman across the alley, hit her hard against the wall, and definitely injured her. Every time she had hurt someone using her powers before, she had felt the pain she caused. But this time, she had felt nothing. She thought hard, but couldn't remember that she had done anything differently on that occasion than any other. The only thing that was different about that one time was that she wasn't acting on her own behalf. Every other time she had been protecting herself, her secrets. This time she had been trying to protect Tian. Did that have something to do with it?  
  
Two or three hours after she woke up, an armed guard came to her door. Clapping a pair of binders on her wrists, he told her that she had a visitor, and gestured with his blaster for her to walk in front of him. Lotah swallowed, trying to control her fear. I won't give in. I'm stronger than he is.   
  
He marched her down the hall and into a small room with two chairs and a tiny table bolted to the floor. Lotah wasn't sure whether she should be relieved or not that there were no pain-inducing machines in the room this time. If there weren't any machines to make her break, did that mean that he was going to use another method? The guard shoved her into a chair and told her to sit with her hands on the table at all times. Then he left, but Lotah saw the camera in the corner of the room, watching her.  
  
It was ten minutes before the door opened again, and Melana walked in. Lotah's jaw dropped, a reaction which she tried to cover by yawning. Melana sat in the opposite chair, rested her elbows on the table, and gazed at Lotah as if she hadn't a care in the world. "How are you doing?" she asked.  
  
Lotah wasn't sure if Melana knew about the camera. Turning ever so slightly, she put her back to the camera and answered, "All right, but I'd like to get out of here." She pointed up, rolling her eyes towards the camera. Melana stared at her for a second, then her eyes flicked upwards and she nodded.   
  
"Can't say I blame you, but you may be here for a while. What were you thinking, brawling like that? Someday you're going to get yourself killed. I heard about the commotion you caused, broke half a dozen chairs, too."   
  
Lotah nodded and murmured something appropriate, but her attention was elsewhere. When Melana had spoken the words 'commotion you caused,' there had been a surge in the Force. Was Melana trying to tell her something? "Sorry, I didn't mean to cause a commotion," Lotah said. As she spoke the last few words, she reached through the Force to touch Melana.   
  
There was a slight hesitation on Melana's part. "That's all right," she said, and Lotah felt the surge on 'That's' and 'right.' She smiled a little. They could communicate this way, as long as they were careful. "When I leave," Lotah felt the surge, "I'll get on the phone to our friends. The bail is ridiculously high, but we ought to be able to make it."  
  
"As soon as you leave?" Lotah asked, not bothering to surge at all. Melana knew what she meant.   
  
"Right away." Lotah smile grew a little, and she thought about someone having a fit when the guard came. Then she opened herself to the Force. Melana's eyes opened wide, and she nodded a little.   
  
They talked for another half-hour before Melana got up to leave. She knocked on the door to the room, and the guard unlocked it. Lotah had already done a check of the building, and it would take the closest guard a good thirty seconds to reach them, if he was ordered immediately. As soon as Melana stepped out of the room, Lotah rose to her feet, disregarding the guards instructions. "Hey!" she shouted after them. "I know what you're doing! You're going to take all that bail money and split, aren't you?"  
  
The guard turned around, aiming his blaster at her chest. It was set on stun. "Sit down and shut up!" he told her. "Or you'll get some of this!" Lotah yelled a curse she had learned from the some shippers, one which shouldn't be repeated in any company. "All right," the guard said, turning to face her. "That's eno..." his threat was interrupted when Melana hit him on the back of the head, where the chest armor and helmet met. She hit him hard.   
  
Despite his armor, he dropped instantly. Even as his body hit the ground Melana and Lotah were running down the halls. They weren't foolish enough to try to get out the front door, which was well guarded and probably had several disrupter fields that could be turned on at the head jailer's discretion. Instead they ran for the center of the prison, where there was a repulsorlift leading to the roof, for the few times a prisoner had to be brought in right from a ship. They were only a few hallways away when they turned a corner and ran into a hall guarded by a stormtrooper. He immediately opened fire, and they hightailed it back into the other corridor. They could hear him yelling into a comlink for assistance. Melana and Lotah exchanged a look. They were in big trouble.  
  
"Lotah!" said a hushed voice. Lotah turned and saw the slave - Dowla - standing a few feet down the aisle. His hood was off, and she could see his blue eyes in that white face. Melana turned, and Lotah saw her reach for her belt.   
  
"Wait!" she grabbed Melana's arm, something she wouldn't have dared to do a few days earlier.   
  
Dowla looked anxiously from Lotah to Melana and back to Lotah. "This way!" he hissed after a few seconds. "I know another way out!"  
  
Lotah didn't hesitate - she followed, Melana a few steps behind. "Who is he?" Melana asked as they ran down the unfamiliar corridors. Lotah was thoroughly lost.  
  
"We can trust him," Lotah assured the cat woman, but as she said it, she wondered. What did she really know about him?  
  
Less than a minute later they arrived at a large room full of double bunk beds. It could easily sleep over a hundred. "The slave quarters," Dowla explained, and pointed to the door at the far end. "Go that way. They don't bother to guard us."  
  
"Aren't you coming?"  
  
He shook his head. "I have things to finish here. I will leave in a day or two. You have a ship?" At their nods, he continued. "Good. Take it to these coordinates." He rattled off a string of coordinates, which Lotah instantly memorized. She hadn't been the slave of a trader all those years and learned nothing. "It is deep within the forest. Their sensors cannot penetrate the canopy. When you get there, tell them I sent you, and that I am on my way."  
  
"Won't they know that you helped us escape?" Lotah hesitated a second more, although she could hear the sounds of the search intensifying.  
  
"They won't even think about it. They think us incapable of any sort of defiance. We'll show them!" he laughed. There was still something about his attitude that bothered Lotah, but she couldn't stop to figure out what it was now. She followed Melana out the exit.  
  
It emptied onto a side street that was completely deserted. Lotah looked around her, amazed at this huge hole in their defenses. She saw from the look on Melana's face that the cat woman had missed this exit as well. Imperials were evil, vile creatures, but they weren't usually *stupid*. The plains were only a few streets away.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Melana was impressed the way Lotah, with her shorter legs and hands still bound together, managed to keep up with her as they ran through the plains. For the first mile they ran in silence, then Lotah suddenly stopped and turned around to stare at the port. "What are you doing?"  
  
"He's here," Lotah said, staring at a ship going in for a landing. She felt a surge of fear before Lotah controlled it.  
  
"Who?" Melana asked.   
  
"The man from the ship. He's coming. We've got to get out of here," Lotah finished, turning and running again. Melana remained behind for a moment though, focusing her thoughts on the ship. It looked so small from here. She reached outward, towards the ship, and felt a darkness. She forced herself to concentrate, to stay with the ship. The man inside was... evil. She could feel the way he stained the world around him.  
  
She turned and ran after Lotah.   
  
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the ship. They ran up the ramp. "Start up the ship!" Melana shouted, looking around. Tiros ran up the them, staring at them.   
  
"You made it!" he said, astonished.   
  
"Get the ship started up, and then fly to these coordinates," Melana said, rattling off the coordinates. "It's in the woods, and we've been told that the woods block sensor sweeps."  
  
Tiros nodded and ran into the cockpit. "Lorb! Give me a hand here!" Lorb ran into the hall, stared at Melana for a second, then followed Tiros to the cockpit. Wait a second, Lorb? Where's Tian? And where's Kenneth? Melana followed them to the cockpit. She noticed Lotah sit down at the table in the main room, a stunned look on her face. In the cockpit, Tiros and Lorb were rushing through the startup procedures.  
  
"What happened to Tian and Kenneth?" Melana asked, and felt a surge of emotion from both of them.  
  
"Kenneth is dead," Tiros said bitterly. "And Tian's in the bunk with a broken leg."  
  
"What?!" Melana asked. The engines came on line, and Tiros sent them soaring over the plains. Melana saw a smudge on the horizon. Tiros hit a few keys on the control panel, laying in a course.   
  
"Kenneth was an assassin," Tiros said, turning in his seat. "He shot us all with a blaster set on stun, then tied us all up. He was going to kill me when Cahi distracted him, long enough for Tian to break free. In the fight Kenneth broke Tian's leg, but Tian managed to shoot him. We stored the body in one of the small rooms." While he was talking, he picked at the binders on Lotah's wrists. A few seconds later they fell off, and the thick metal collar took only a minute more.  
  
"He... he was an assassin?" Melana asked. "Who was he after?"  
  
"You, Jedi," Tiros said, glancing at Lorb. "Or were you not planning on telling us?"  
  
"He was after me? How did he know I was training to be a Jedi?"  
  
"Cahi's doing a search for information now. But right now we have some questions for you."  
  
"What do you want to know?" Melana asked. She probably should have told them about her training at the Academy when they arrived on an Imperial-controlled world. "I would like to apologize for not telling you sooner."  
  
Tiros looked surprised. "When did train to be a Jedi?"  
  
"Up until a few months before I met you. I trained for just over a year. I started training in order to gain an advantage in my tribe, but I have no interest there anymore. I was... am planning to go back to the Academy after my mother was avenged."  
  
"You have some sort of special powers?"  
  
Melana frowned. "I am still an apprentice. So far I have had the most success healing people, like with Tian. Usually I can sense other people, and sometimes, if I have my concentration, I can lift something really small using the Force."  
  
Tiros nodded. "In that case, I'd appreciate it if you would take a look at Tian's knee." He stared out the viewport at the rapidly approaching forest. "Where are we going?"  
  
"Lotah made a friend in the prison who got us out of there, a slave. He said he had friends out there, and that the canopy would protect us from sensor sweeps."  
  
"She made a friend? What sort of friend?" Tiros demanded.  
  
"I don't know," Melana admitted. "Lotah?"  
  
Lotah came out of her daydreaming, but her eyes were still blank and shadowy. "Yes?"  
  
"Who was that man, the one back in the prison?"  
  
"Dowla Chin'ka'rel," Lotah replied, staring out at the planet. "We have to get in the woods soon. They're coming after me."  
  
"Who?" Tiros asked. "And who is this Chin'ka'rel?"  
  
"The dark man is coming," Lotah said, fixing her eyes on a point across the horizon. Melana felt some tremors through the Force. Suddenly she blinked and shook her head. "I'm sorry. Dowla is a native of this planet." Melana realized that the girl had been using the Force to keep an eye on the ships following them.   
  
"How do you know that you can trust him?" Tiros asked suspiciously.  
  
"I can trust him."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"He's one of my people."  
  
"What do you mean, one of your people? You said that you're an orphan."  
  
"I'm from this planet."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm from this planet. They've been shipping slaves off this planet for years, and I'm one of them." Lotah actually smiled, and ran her hand through her hair.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"They look like me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Melana, remember what Dowla looked like? He looked just like me."  
  
Melana thought back. "He had blue eyes, black hair, with blue streaks in his hair," Melana said, then trailed off, looking at Lotah. "Like you."  
  
"He's going to meet us there in a few days. I trust him." 


	12. XII

When they reached the forest, there was another hour of difficult flying through the trees, the entire length of which Tiros spent muttering to himself about wild goose chases. When they finally reached the coordinates, there was no one there. Tiros cursed for a good ten minutes while Lotah and Melana scouted around. They found signs of recent activity around the coordinates, but no people. Lotah closed her eyes and reached outward. Those following them had lost their trail, but there were others, nearby. "We should wait here for a while," Lotah said. "I think someone will come."  
  
Melana regarded her for a moment, then nodded. They walked back to the ship. Tiros and Lorb were just finishing the shutdown procedures when they got back. "So is your family here?" Tiros asked, raising one eyebrow.   
  
"Not yet," Lotah said, her face a mask again. It was easy to fall back into old patterns, although the thought of having a family was incredibly exciting. "But I think we should wait."  
  
Lorb glanced out the viewport. "This is as good a place to hide as any. I tried to do a sensor sweep, and everything bounced right back at me. We might as well stay."   
  
Tiros shot Lorb a betrayed look, then got up and headed for the bunk. Lotah's eyes followed him, but she didn't move. "Is Tian all right?" she asked Lorb.  
  
"He'll be all right," Lorb said. "But I think the two of you are going to have a long talk."  
  
Lotah nodded solemnly. She wasn't sure what he knew about her, or what he was thinking; but she wasn't sure if she was ready to face him. Tian was the first friend she'd had since Gabbie, maybe her first friend ever, since Gabbie had been more like a protector than a friend. Of course, Tian might not even want to be near her, now that he knew the truth. She hoped that wasn't the case.   
  
Straightening her shoulders, she walked back to the bunk. Tiros and Tian were the only ones there - there was a dark brownish stain on the floor right outside the door, which Lotah avoided. That would be where Kenneth had died. Tiros and Lorb had told them the entire story on the way over, and Lotah wasn't sure what to think. She had known there was something wrong with Kenneth - now that she thought about it, her uneasy feeling went back to Melana's home planet, although she hadn't attributed it to Kenneth at the time - but she never would have guessed he was an assassin.   
  
Tian was lying on his bunk, and Tiros sat on the opposite bunk. They looked like they were deeply involved in a conversation, so she cleared her throat. Both looked up, and both frowned. Lotah swallowed. Tiros stood up and walked to the door. He glared at her for several seconds, but didn't say anything before he headed for the main room.   
  
Lotah walked into the room and gingerly sat down on the bunk Tiros had just vacated. "Hi."  
  
"Hello. Melana rescued you?" Tian asked, his tone perfectly neutral.   
  
"Yes. They said that Kenneth was planning to kill us all, and you got him. Good job."  
  
"Well, not good enough," he gestured to his leg, which was swathed in bandages. For a second he started to open up again, like usual, then he frowned and she could feel him close up to her.   
  
"Against a trained assassin? And you're alive and he isn't. That's pretty good."  
  
"Lotah, who are you?" Tian suddenly asked.   
  
"What do you mean?" Lotah asked.  
  
"Who are you?! You told me that you were a former slave, and then a bunch of people show up and say you're an escaped slave, a criminal, and Lorb says that there are several bounties on your head! And just yesterday, I saw you... I saw you... make that blaster fly to your hand! Who are you?"  
  
Lotah automatically started analyzing what she wanted to tell him, what to exclude, what to tell to make it sound real... She stopped herself. I'm going to tell him everything, she told herself firmly. I want him to trust me, and he never will if I don't give him reason to. "All right. When I was three, I was sold to a traveling merchant, who was my Master until just over a year ago. He died suddenly in a freak accident, and his will, which set me free, was disregarded for some reason. A legal loophole, or something. So I was sold again, this time to the woman you saw yesterday. My first master was a master, but he was good to me, and he was the closest thing to a father I had, and didn't abuse me, even though it was his right. Then I was sold to that woman. She starved me, and hit me when I didn't bow to her and instantly obey her. Finally, one day I was cleaning some of her items, and I hadn't eaten in two days, and I spilled a cup of coffee. I didn't mean to, it was just that my hands were shaking, and I wasn't really paying attention... Anyway, she beat me very badly that night, and refused to treat my back. That night I tore some bandages out of some old sheets, cleaned myself up, and I escaped."  
  
"How?" Tian asked.  
  
Lotah swallowed. She had never told this to anyone, not even Melana. "One day, when I was younger, and still with my old master, this old alien approached me and taught me to sense and use something called the Force."  
  
"The Force?" Tian repeated. "What's that?"  
  
"It's like a life force," Lotah explained. "It's hard to explain. But he taught me to do special things with the Force, like move things with my mind, or sense when people were lying to me. I used my powers to steal the key to my room, and then I ran to the port, stowed away on the first freighter I saw, and I've been running since. I broke the law a few times to survive and stay ahead of the people chasing me, but I don't like stealing."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" There was definitely pain in his voice.  
  
"Which part?" Lotah asked.  
  
He stared at her. "All of it. Didn't you trust me?"  
  
Lotah closed her eyes. "It wasn't really about trust. I didn't tell you that I was an escaped slave, because... I'm not proud of some of the things I've done to stay free, and I... I guess at the beginning I was afraid you'd turn me in, and then when I knew you wouldn't, I thought you wouldn't like me any more if you knew what I was." She stopped - that hadn't quite come out right, but it was too late to do anything about it now. "And the other stuff - I've never told anyone about Op before. Never. Not my master, not Melana, no one. It never even occurred to me to tell you." She opened her eyes to look at him.  
  
He sat up in bed and winced. Hesitantly Lotah lay her hand on his knee, as gently as she could, and let the Force flow through her. She wasn't as good at it as Melana, but it might help. He sighed. "That feels better. Is that the Force?" She nodded. "Why didn't you tell anyone? I mean, I can see that you wouldn't tell that woman, but why didn't you tell us? That's nothing to be ashamed of."  
  
Lotah averted her eyes from his face. "I... I don't know what happened, but I never finished my training. One day I went to see Op, and there were stormtroopers raiding his house. They killed him, and I ran." She shivered, trying not to think about that man. The next time she saw him, she wouldn't hesitate. Even if she got away, he'd probably do the same thing to someone else. "I can't think of any reason for them to kill him except for his connection with the Force. And if they killed him for that, they would probably kill me too. So I never told anyone."  
  
"So you're being hunted by the Empire too." There was something odd about his voice. Was he still angry with her?   
  
"I guess so. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Will you forgive me?" He stared at her. "Please?" She steeled herself for his answer, and swore that no matter what he said, she wouldn't cry. She hadn't cried in years, and she wasn't about to start now. I'm still strong, and I don't need anyone. But even as she thought it, she knew that was a lie.   
  
"I don't know. I'm going to have to think about it." He leaned back again. "That first day, when you grabbed that shirt, you were using the Force?" She nodded. At least he didn't say no. "Could you show me?"   
  
Lotah hesitated, mostly out of habit. She had never openly shown her powers to anyone before. But I never had a friend before, either. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. It was harder than usual, knowing that Tian was sitting there, watching her. She began to lose control, and took another deep breath. Ignore him. Just focus. She got control of herself and dropped into the semi-trance. There was a blaster on the bed next to her. She grasped it with her mind and easily lifted it into the air. There was silence, so she opened her eyes. Tian was staring at the blaster like it was about to bite him. He reached out a hand, then froze. "Can I touch it?" Lotah nodded, trying to maintain her concentration. He touched it, then plucked it from the air. She let go of it and relaxed.   
  
"That's amazing."  
  
"Thank you," she murmured, and was horrified when her voice almost cracked. All of her secrets were out in the open now, something she'd been dreading for years. But she had told them to Tian, her friend - she hoped. Wasn't that different?  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, putting the blaster aside. Concern was evident in his expression, and despite herself, it heartened Lotah. No one ever cared about what I was feeling before, not since Gabbie.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked a little more sharply. "You said that you would tell me everything."  
  
Lotah started to retort, since when did everything include what was going on in her head, but she held back her tongue. "I've just never told anyone that stuff before, or shown them what I just showed you. It makes me a little nervous."  
  
"Didn't you tell anyone?" Tian asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"What about Gabbie?"  
  
"She was sold long before I met Op."  
  
Tian considered that. "Lotah, why did you tell me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why did you tell me all you did? You told me why you didn't say anything, and I guess those reasons make sense, but why *did* you tell me now? Why didn't you just lie again? Or are you lying?"  
  
"No! I'm not lying now!" It had never occurred to Lotah that he wouldn't believe her when she told the truth, although it did make sense.  
  
"So why did you tell me?"  
  
"Because..." Lotah searched her mind for something truthful to say that wouldn't reveal what she was thinking entirely. She failed. "Because I want you to trust me, and I don't want you to get hurt because of something I told you. Because I never had anyone that risked their life for me before."  
  
"Because you never had a friend," Tian said quietly. Lotah stared at him. How had he guessed?!  
  
She didn't say anything. There was nothing she could think of to say. She waited.  
  
"I forgive you." It was so quiet that she almost missed it. Lotah felt a relief even deeper than when she had first escaped the woman.  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Everyone has secrets," he said. The way he said it made her wonder, What secrets to you have? "I shouldn't have been so angry that you had them too."  
  
"It's all right," she said gratefully. Suddenly she had an urge to hug him. What?! She'd never hugged anyone in her entire life, and avoided touching if at all possible. Don't go crazy just because he forgave you. She leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms across her chest. There was just a hint of disappointment on Tian's face, and it suddenly occurred to her that maybe he had wanted her to hug him! She put that possibility out of her mind.   
  
"Where are we, anyway?" he asked, switching to a safer topic.  
  
"We're in the woods, a few hundred kilometers north-east of the port," she said, remembering what she'd seen in the cockpit.   
  
"What are we doing here?"  
  
"The Imperials have blockaded the port, and they've got a defensive ring around the planet," Lotah said, remembering what the man had said at one point during the torture. He had been trying to explain how it was impossible to escape, even if she did get a ship. "The forest here has got some odd minerals in the plants, and their sensors can't penetrate the canopy."  
  
"How do you know about the Imps?" Tian asked.  
  
Lotah wasn't sure about how to answer that. "One of the people who captured me told me."  
  
Tian frowned. "Why did he tell you that?"  
  
"He was trying to convince me that I had no chance at escaping. He never thought I'd get away to tell anyone what he told me."  
  
"How did you escape?"  
  
"Melana rescued me. She knocked out the guard and went out the slave entrance."  
  
"The slave entrance?"  
  
"I met a slave there, and he helped me escape. Because he thinks that I'm a native of this planet."  
  
"What?" Tian sat up again and winced.   
  
"Take it easy," Lotah said, pushing him back into a horizontal position. She tried to heal him again, but succeeded only in easing the pain. Melana was really much better at this than sort of thing. "You'll make the injury worse."  
  
"I'm all right," he said, knocking away her hands. "What did you say?" That overly formal tone was gone from his voice. She resisted the urge to grin. It was great... wonderful to have him talking to her like usual again.   
  
"I think this may be my home world."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"This slave I met... he had really bright blue eyes, and blue streaked hair. Just like me, except blue. I was a slave, and this is a slave world. You said before how good I looked in the light. What if it was because my people evolved in this world, where my coloring would be an advantage, instead of just odd? I had never seen anyone who looks remotely like me, not in all the years of traveling, until I yesterday."  
  
"That's great." Tian didn't sound like he thought it was great. "If this really is your home planet, what are you going to do about it?"  
  
That had never occurred to her. "I don't know. With the Empire hunting me, it might be more dangerous to stay here than leave. If we can leave. I don't know."  
  
"Are you going to try to find your family?"  
  
"My family?" That had never occurred to her either.   
  
"You might have one, here. If they weren't sold, too." Tian looked like he regretted that last comment. "You never know."  
  
"I didn't think of that."  
  
"So, what, exactly, is happening right now?"  
  
"We're waiting. Dowla - that's the slave I met - he said he'd come out in a few days, and to tell someone that he sent us. So someone is supposed to meet us here. We don't have anything better to do."  
  
He smiled ruefully. "I guess not. I'm not going anywhere real soon."  
  
"What happened, exactly?"  
  
"Kenneth was an assassin, sent to kill Melana."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She's a Jedi apprentice."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You knew?" he sounded surprised. "How?"  
  
"I sensed her using the Force."  
  
"Wait a second. She uses the Force too?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Tian snapped his fingers. "That's what I couldn't remember! That vid on Luke Skywalker - he's the one who started the Jedi Academy, and he uses something called the Force!"  
  
"Oh. So he was just pretending to be a stupid scientist?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Kenneth!"  
  
"Oh yeah. We think that what happened. Well, Cahi got that much off the information channels."  
  
"Who's Cahi?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I forgot you missed that! Turns out the ship's computer has a personality, and it - she's been spying on us. She saved all our lives."  
  
"Oh. You'll have to introduce me later."  
  
He nodded. "Anyway, we found out that he's been working for the Imps for the last five years, but before that he was a scientist working for a large company in the Corporate Sector. He was taking a vacation when pirates attacked his ship. The Imps saved his life, and trained him to work for them. Since then he's killed three or four people who were thought to have Jedi potential, although Melana's the first actual apprentice he tried to kill. You know that scratchy voice of his?" Lotah nodded. "One of those people he killed was a little tougher than he thought and nearly tore out his throat before he killed him." Lotah shuddered, thinking how she had thought of him as so pathetic, how many times she had turned her back to him. Tian nodded. "I know what you mean. Never would have suspected Kenneth would do that."   
  
That wasn't what she had meant, but she nodded anyway. "We should get Melana in here. She might be able to do something to help your leg." She smiled shyly, and was much gratified to see Tian smile back.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Melana and Lotah spent a good hour in trances, trying to help heal Tian's leg. When they finished, he was still far from healthy, but claimed he felt a lot better. Then Lotah spent a long time telling her story to Melana, who was impressed with her telekinetic abilities. Melana then taught her some of the basic exercises she had learned at the Academy, and Lotah realized that much of Op's training had been aiming her towards the same path that the Jedi traveled.   
  
Lotah was introduced to Cahi, and everyone gathered to exchange stories. Melana was furious when Lotah told her what she'd learned from the man (although she didn't mention how, when, or from whom she'd gotten the information) about the manner of her mother's death, but she didn't say anything about it. When they were done, Tiros crossed his arms across his chest, a gesture that Lotah recognized from Tian. "So both of you are Jedi?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not a Jedi yet," Melana said at the same time as Lotah said, "I'm not a Jedi."  
  
He shook his head. "Doesn't matter, not to the Empire. I'd heard of your type, but I thought you were all dead."  
  
"Master Skywalker is trying to change that," Melana said stiffly.  
  
Tiros cursed, then glared at Lotah. "Girl, I hope that this friend of yours was telling the truth, because if he wasn't, we might as well give up now, because they won't ever stop hunting us."  
  
As if responding to a cue, someone banged on the outside hull. Under other circumstances, Lotah would have been amused by how quickly four blasters and one knife appeared. She stood up. "I'll go. If they do look like me, they probably won't attack me as quickly as one of you."  
  
Melana stood up. "I'll go with you." Lotah nodded and headed for the ramp. When she activated it, there was a startled squawk from outside.   
  
Lotah steeled herself, raised her chin and walked outside, one knife held ready in her right hand. She walked down the ramp and stopped short. Standing a few feet away from her was a middle-aged woman with yellow eyes and striped hair. The woman was holding a long staff, but didn't seem to be otherwise armed. The woman's eyes opened wider when she saw Lotah. "Ullo ka pater?" she asked, or demanded.   
  
Lotah frowned. "I'm sorry. I don't understand. Do you speak Basic?"  
  
The woman glanced to one side, and Lotah noticed five or six other people, ranging in age from the early twenties to the woman's age standing in a loose semicircle around the ship. They all had bright colored eyes and streaked hair.   
  
One of them, a young woman with bright orange eyes and brownish hair, stepped forward. She had a long bone knife at her belt, and held a strip of leather or cloth in the other. It was doubled over, and Lotah saw a small stone sitting in the loop at the bottom. Some sort of weapon? "I speak Basic little," the woman said haltingly. "Why you be here?"  
  
"Dowla Chin'ka'rel sent us here. He told us to wait here, and that he'd be here in a few days." Lotah hoped the woman could understand her.  
  
The woman nodded, but she was frowning furiously. That expression changed to a stare when Lotah stepped off the ramp and into the light. "You from not world?" she asked.   
  
Lotah took a few seconds to translate what the woman said. "I came from space, but I don't know where I was born. Dowla said that I was born here. I used to be a slave, but I escaped."  
  
The woman's eyes got wide when she said that, and the group chattered in their own tongue for several minutes. In that time, Tiros and Lorb also emerged from the ship. "They do look like you," Tiros muttered, "but what are they talking about?"  
  
"I don't know," Lotah said quietly. "Every time I mention that I'm an escaped slave to one of them, they get all excited. Do you know why?"  
  
"Not a clue." Tiros fell silent because the woman was gesturing for silence among her own people.  
  
"We help hide ship. Then wait here. Dowla comes, then talk. Yes?"  
  
Lotah turned to Melana. "This is your trip. What do you think?"  
  
"I want to hear their story. We'll stay, at least until the man arrives. We won't be able to get off-planet for at least that long anyway."  
  
Lotah turned back to the woman. "That's fine."  
  
The woman turned to the older woman, said something in her own language, and the older woman raised her staff into the air. A dozen more people emerged from the bushes, and Lotah gulped. She hadn't seen one of them. The girl turned back to Lotah as the people began piling bushes, branches, and leaves all over the ship. "My name Kelph. We hide ship, wait here. You stay in ship. When Dowla come, we talk. Yes?"  
  
"All right."  
  
"Go in ship." There was no mistaking the fact that this was an order. Lotah glanced at Melana, and they all turned around and headed back into the ship.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
So they waited. The natives stayed in the general area, sometimes coming into the clearing with the ship, sometimes not. When they were near enough, Cahi provided images of them on the main viewscreen. Several times they had to shut down all their systems when they heard ships flying overhead. After the second time this happened, Cahi said that she had analyzed the sound of the engines and determined that those were search vessels.   
  
Just like the last time, Tian healed amazingly fast, and was limping around by the afternoon of the third day. During the time they were trapped in the ship, Melana taught Lotah more of what she had learned at the Academy, and Lotah related some of her lessons with Op to Melana. Tian told Lotah about what he and his father had done, about the real reason they wouldn't work for Imps, and about his own experiences as a half-human. Tiros took an interest in Cahi, so he and Lorb spent hours tinkering with her systems in an attempt to bypass the programs that wouldn't let her hurt anyone. All in all, it was a fairly relaxing time, considering they were hiding from the Empire on a slave planet, waiting for an escaped slave to show up.   
  
Lotah spent a lot of time watching the natives whenever they were in range of the sensors. Tian caught her at it once. "What are you doing?"   
  
"I don't know. Just watching them."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I want to see what they're like."  
  
"Still not sure if you're one of them?" Tian hobbled over to the viewscreen.   
  
"I just don't know. They look like me, or I look like them, but that could be coincidence, or my appearance could have been changed when I was purchased, back before I can remember... I mean, I just don't know. Look at them," she waved her arm at the screen. Four of the women were sitting in a circle, apparently stripping berries and leaves off some branches. There was a neat pile of branches to one side, and two baskets with berries in one and leaves in the other. "I have never done anything like that in my entire life. I can do stuff like that, but I would go crazy if I had to do that every day! I've lived in the space lanes all my life, what do I know about living on a primitive planet?" She stopped and got control of herself. "It's just - how can this be my home, how can these be my people when I don't recognize anything? I always thought that if I found my home planet, there would be some sort of recognition, some sort of feeling that I belonged there. But there's nothing here." Lotah stared at the natives. "Maybe it's just me." She shut off the viewscreen.  
  
Several hours later, Melana started telling Lotah about some of the things her Master Skywalker had told her, maybe in an attempt to convince her to go to the Academy, maybe just to spread the knowledge. Lotah didn't care which one, so long as she received the information. Before long, Melana was no longer lecturing - Lotah was talking just as much; about experiences she'd had, mistakes she'd made...  
  
"You know, it's weird," Lotah said at one point.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"Every time I used my powers and someone got hurt, even a little bit, I could feel it. That's one of the reasons I was so careful with my power. But when I knocked that woman off of Tian, I must have given her a concussion, but I didn't feel a thing. Do you know why?"  
  
Melana considered her question. "It must be because you were helping someone."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You were protecting Tian, instead of just protecting yourself. It was your motives - selfless, not selfish. It can be the difference between the Dark side and the Light."  
  
The thought that she had stepped so close to the Dark side on her own, without that man's help, scared Lotah. She was very quiet for the rest of the day.  
  
On the evening of the third day, just before sunset, Dowla arrived. His face lit up when he saw the ship, but he didn't go there right away. First he went to talk to the older woman, and they had a very animated argument. Dowla pointed at the ship every few seconds. Lotah stretched her senses outward. "They're talking about me."  
  
"How do you know?" Tian asked. He was watching them with her out the viewport.   
  
"I can feel it."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Dowla thinks that they need me for something, and she doesn't like me for some reason, but I can't tell why," Lotah murmured. She relaxed. Whatever decision they came to, she wasn't going to affect it up here. Op had often told her she was too impatient. She could work on that now.  
  
"Want to play a game?"   
  
Tian looked surprised, but accepted her invitation. A half-hour later, the woman banged on the outside of the ship. When the ramp was lowered, the woman glowered at Lotah. "You will come to the village. Follow me." She turned and started walking towards the edge of the glade. Lotah stared off after her. Besides the fact that Lotah hadn't known that she spoke Basic, there was something odd about the way the woman had ordered her - like she was a stupid servant who didn't understand anything.   
  
Swallowing the sharp remark the came to mind, Lotah started after the woman. She heard Melana and Tiros fall in behind her. They had already decided that Lorb and Tian would stay with the ship, to keep an eye on it. Lorb volunteered because he wanted to keep working on Cahi, and obviously Tian wasn't up to a hike in the woods.   
  
"No! Only you come." The woman glared at her some more.  
  
"No." Lotah stopped short. "If I go, they go."  
  
The woman looked furious. "You... you... you..."   
  
Dowla stopped her before she could say anything with a long statement in his own tongue. The woman yelled back at him, gesturing wildly at Lotah. Dowla spoke quietly, insistently, also gesturing at Lotah. Finally the woman stomped into the forest, and Dowla said, "Your friends are welcome to join us."  
  
They walked through the forest for a half-hour. Tiros reached out to touch one of the prettier flowers, but Lotah knocked his hand away. "Don't touch it. It'll give you a nasty rash."  
  
"How do you know that?" Tiros asked.  
  
"I... I don't know," Lotah replied, frowning. She couldn't remember who had told her that the vrais blossoms were dangerous, she just remembered that they were. "Dowla?" she asked their guide.   
  
"Yes?" he asked, not pausing. He moved silently through the forest, and quiet as she and Melana were, they seemed hopelessly clumsy compared to him. Tiros was a lost cause.  
  
"That flower, is it called vrais?"  
  
He stopped. "Yes. You are beginning to remember?" he looked hopeful.  
  
Lotah frowned again. "I don't know. I can't remember if I remember anything."  
  
Dowla started walking again. After a second he turned his head and called something over his shoulder to her. Something about time. Lotah thought about it, and decided that his words had been, "Give it time." Then she realized that he had been speaking in his own tongue. A shiver went up and down her spine. She had been younger than three when she was first sold as a slave, but by three many humans were already beginning to speak.   
  
"What was that about?" Tiros asked, pushing through the bushes.  
  
"I think I'm remembering something," she said in a low voice.   
  
"What?"   
  
"Their language."  
  
He didn't say anything to that. Fifteen minutes later, they reached a small village. All of the huts were made of straw and reeds, although some were much bigger than others. Dowla led them straight to the largest hut.   
  
Inside, the hut was divided into four seconds, one being much larger than the other. Sitting on what could only be a throne was an older man, his eyes and hair completely white. Lotah thought that might be from old age until she saw a woman seated at his side, with dark hair streaked with white and completely white eyes. The woman with the yellow eyes walked up to the man and whispered something in his ear, and Dowla knelt on the floor and bent his head to the ground. The man said something, and Dowla straightened up, although he did not stand. Turning to look at Lotah, who hadn't moved, he hissed, "Bow! This is our ruler!"   
  
Lotah and her friends bowed, but didn't get down on their knees. The old man stared at Lotah, then whispered something to the woman sitting at his side. He said something in his own language. It sounded like a command, but he spoke to fast for Lotah to even try to understand what was said. Dowla nodded. "I will translate for you," he whispered.   
  
The man spoke, and Dowla translated. "You are very brave, jalp, to stand so boldly in my presence. I am told that you are one of our people, yet you escaped your owner. How is that possible, for a jalp?"   
  
Lotah concentrated on the word that Dowla didn't translate. She thought it meant red, but that didn't make any sense. She must be remembering wrong. "I broke the lock off the door and ran," she said, omitting the fact that she had used her powers to do so. She didn't know enough about this world yet.  
  
"But how could you escape?"  
  
"I just told you."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"I already told you," she said, getting a little annoyed. "I ran."  
  
The man looked upset, then angry, and spoke very quickly to Dowla. Dowla answered, then turned to Lotah. "You're making him angry."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand why he doesn't understand. I broke the lock on the door and ran away."   
  
Dowla glanced at the man, then back at Lotah. "What he means, is..." he broke off. "There is no word for what I want to say in Basic. What he is trying to ask is, how did you... learn to defy someone? How was your training lost?" he held his hands up in a sign of helplessness. "There aren't the words."  
  
Lotah frowned. "I just did it, that's all. Why?"  
  
Dowla spoke again. The man rose from his seat and walked up to Lotah. He was tall - Lotah barely came up to his shoulder. He stared at her, then raised a hand and started to reach for her face. Lotah pushed his hand away. "Please don't touch me." Everyone around her gasped.   
  
He stared at her some more, then looked at his hand, and back at her. Suddenly he drew his hand back and slapped her across the face as hard as he could. It took all of Lotah's self-control not to hit him back, but she knew that striking their ruler was not the way to make friends. Even if he deserved it.  
  
"Why did you do that?" she demanded, determined not to show any weakness.  
  
His mouth dropped open, and then started talking again, faster than she could begin to translate. Dowla spoke too, several times, but the older man cut him off. He was very rude. Finally Dowla turned to face Lotah, his head hanging. He opened his mouth to say something, then glanced at the old man and closed it. He turned away from her and sat down on the floor at the edge of the hut. One of the natives, one with bright orangish eyes, placed a knife at his throat. "What are you doing?" Lotah asked, taking a step towards him. A chill ran up and down her spine. There was something wrong her, besides the obvious.  
  
There was a grunt behind her, and Lotah turned to see seven or eight of the natives standing there, with blasters aimed at Tiros and Melana. They have blasters?! Kelph was pointing a blaster at her. "Where the hell did you get those?" Tiros demanded as they disarmed him and Melana. They were herded to the wall next to Dowla, where they were forced to sit.  
  
The woman with the bright yellow eyes said something, and Dowla translated, "You did not think that we were so foolish that we had no modern weapons! We don't use them in the forest because the light and then energy signature they leave might lead the off-worlders to us! But we have the weapons, and are not afraid to use them here!"   
  
The old man spoke. "You, jalp, have insulted me most grievously," Dowla translated. "If you were any other I would order them to fire on you and wipe the insult from the planet. But Dowla says that your insult comes not from insolence, but from strength that few have, and from a different rank. No one has ever returned before, and he believes that you returned for a reason. Therefore you will be tested. If you survive, then you shall be forgiven and help us, if you die, then you were not strong enough and do not deserve to live." The man gestured, and three large men walked into the center of the hut. One had blue eyes, one orange, and one yellow. All were armed with the same long bone knives Lotah had seen earlier.   
  
"I don't want to fight!" she protested, but no one answered. She looked at Melana, Tiros, and Dolwa, and it didn't take an idiot to figure out that their lives also hung in the balance. As the man with blue eyes approached, knife ready, she drew her own knife and crouched in a defensive position.  
  
She opened herself to the Force, and dodged the man's first clumsy attack. He obviously wasn't taking her very seriously as an opponent. His loss. He had never fought anyone from the streets of a thousand planets before, never seen the dirty tricks she knew, and he didn't have the Force as an ally. There was no contest. Lotah disarmed him, then used the hilt of her knife to knock him out. Jedi didn't take life when it was possible to do otherwise, Melana had told her.   
  
A low murmur went through the crowd, but Lotah didn't let it distract her. The man with the orange eyes stepped forward, more cautiously than the first. He held a knife in each hand, so Lotah drew her second knife. Although he was better than his colleague, he still didn't seem to view her as a threat. She had him unconscious in two or three minutes. The last man carried only one knife. He approached her, then circled carefully. It seemed that the ease with which she had handled his comrades had made him give her a little respect.   
  
He slashed at her, feinted, and slashed again. Lotah avoided both strikes, then slashed back at him. She almost missed, but the tip of her knife touched his chest and left a thin red line. He drew back, and touched his own chest, as if amazed that there was actually blood there. Suddenly he attacked in what seemed to be a blind rage. Bad form for any sort of professional fighter - no one who won ever let themselves be controlled by their emotions - it tended to make them careless and take risks that they shouldn't.   
  
Normally Lotah would let down her guard slightly when her opponent started getting lazy - it was one of her worst flaws as a fighter - but there was something about him that bothered her. Her entire body was tingling with the danger sense, but she couldn't spare the attention to try and touch his mind.   
  
He lunged at her, and for a second he was wide open. She attacked, driving forward... her danger sense went crazy, and she managed to abort the attack, throwing herself to one side. She stumbled, recovered, and stared at her opponent. From out of nowhere, a second knife had appeared in his left hand, which was previously unarmed. If she had attacked, the second knife could have easily struck. That devious, sneaky, son of a... she dodged again as he approached, this time using both hands. The whole angry thing was an act!   
  
Lotah realized that she too had been taking these attacks less than seriously, and had almost paid with her life. Focus, now. This isn't a game, and this guy isn't some street punk. Lotah retreated a few steps, took a deep breath, and let the Force flow through her.  
  
His attack came again, a tricky two-fisted blow that was designed to make her dodge one knife and run into the other. But he was moving slowly, like he was swimming, and Lotah dodged both blades as he passed her. He stopped, turned (again so slowly!), and stared at her. For several seconds, it seemed, he was wide open. Lotah kicked the knife out of one hand, stepped aside his clumsy counterattack, and disarmed him. There was a strange crackling sound in her ears, but she ignored it. She ran up to him, punched him in the stomach using the hilt of her knife. He bent over, and she kicked the side of his head. He collapsed, breathing very slowly and deeply.  
  
Lotah stopped concentrating on the Force, and suddenly his breath speeded up. That had never happened to her before. What had happened?  
  
There was a stunned silence in the hut. Lotah walked over to where several people with yellow and orange hair guarded her friends. Many of the natives suddenly dropped to their knees in front of her. Lotah stopped, startled. Tiros and Melana stepped away from the wall. Dowla didn't. He bowed deeply, then turned to face the old man. He said something, and the old man nodded. "Come with me," Dowla said to them, bowing first to the old man, and then to her.   
  
Lotah started to object - she wanted to know what the hell was going on, but Melana put a hand on her arm and shook her head. Frustrated, Lotah followed Dowla out of the room.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Tian held his breath as yet another ship cruised overhead. Their sensors weren't working, but he didn't need sensors to know the ships were there, they were so close. He imagined what it would be like if they saw through the tree cover and spotted the ship. He probably wouldn't even have time to run - try to run - if they did. The ship was next to helpless now, one or two good shots and there wouldn't even be enough wreckage to figure out what sort of ship it had been.   
  
The moan of the other ship's engines died away into the distance, and he let out his breath. "Another miss," he muttered. Lorb didn't even look up. "How's that program coming?"  
  
"Getting there," Lorb muttered.  
  
"They've been gone for five hours. What do you think is happening?" It was incredibly to be injured and out of the action now, when things were most exciting. He glared at his bandaged knee. It was much better already, and would probably be fine in another day or two, but right now it was driving him crazy. Why did he have to get injured just now?  
  
Lorb didn't answer. He didn't talk much normally, and even less now, when he was working on something. Cahi said, "I managed to hack into the Imp's database."  
  
Tian sat up. "You what?! They trace that sort of thing!"  
  
"Not the way I did it. I'm not stupid."  
  
"Sorry. What did you find?"  
  
"I've only made it through the outer levels of their security. I did find some basic information about the planet's population, want to see?"  
  
"Sure!" Anything was better than sitting here, wondering whether someone would see them and blast them to atoms. And this might give him some idea of what was happening to his father and Lotah.  
  
"I'm transmitting the information to your datapad. Ooo!" she suddenly exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Lorb asked.  
  
"What'd you do? That felt really weird."  
  
"I just rerouted your power through the main engines. You all right?"  
  
Tian turned away from their conversation and looked at the pad. The information on it was decades old, written down by two scientists who were studying primitive societies. There was some sort of caste system here, where the lower castes were practically slaves to the upper ones. A person's caste was determined at birth, and the only way to change that caste was by defeating a person of higher caste in battle. Since the lower castes weren't taught to fight, this neatly ensured that they would never change caste. Very safe system. I wonder, if Lotah's actually from this planet, what caste is she in? There were a lot of notes on various rituals and strange customs, and even more on everyday life, but nothing that would tell Tian what was happening out there. The notes ended suddenly, and there was a small line at the end, added three weeks after the last note. "Subjects terminated during capture of planet." He shook his head. Poor scientists.  
  
None of this put him any closer to the action. He sighed, and wondered if Lotah or Melana had any way of sensing things from a distance. That would be useful. "Cahi? Do you have any information, past or present, on the Jedi Knights?"  
  
"I have all sorts of information, both past and present, on them," Cahi said, sounding insulted. "I did live at the Academy for several years."  
  
Tian rolled his eyes. Cahi was the most sensitive program he had ever met. "Can you give me some information?" He fell silent, holding his breath, as another ship flew overhead. When it had passed, he said, "Their abilities, some stories about the old Jedi, that sort of thing?"  
  
"Sure," Cahi said, obviously proud to be able to display her knowledge. "I know some great stories, or I can show you pictures of one of the classes at the Academy."  
  
Tian decided that looking at the classes sounded way too much like spying on the Academy, so he elected to listen to Cahi telling the stories. Anything was better than just waiting.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Lotah sat cross-legged on the dirt floor of the hut. She had a clear view of the center of the village. There was a lot of activity, and every now and then someone would stare at the hut, but no one approached. It had been three hours since Dowla brought them there, and other than a person with light green streaks in her hair (and apparently no ability to speak) who periodically brought them food and water, they hadn't seen anyone.   
  
Melana looked completely at home, which made sense, since these hut so closely resembled the ones on her home world. She had meditated for their first hour of captivity, then exercised for the second, and was now pacing back and forth impatiently. Tiros had seated himself in one corner and pulled out a small knife. He had been carving away at a small piece of wood for an hour and a half now. Lotah had put herself in a half-trance an hour after they arrived, and hadn't left it.  
  
"Melana, what does your Jedi Master say about telekinesis?" she asked.   
  
"Size matters not." Melana stopped pacing and sat down, streatching her legs out to either side. Lotah stared - she had very long legs, and they seemed to bend in places that they shouldn't.  
  
"So, theoretically, you could lift anything, if you used the Force properly."  
  
"I've seen Master Skywalker lift his X-wing, if that's what you mean. How much have you lifted?"  
  
"That woman was the most. It was usually most effective to use my powers to make little changes, like pushing buttons or breaking circuits. Things like that." Lotah concentrated on the empty bowl in the middle of the floor. They had already drank all of the water it contained, so it was fairly light. It rose easily into the air. Lotah also picked up the basket with the bread, and the bowl with the roots in it. Easy. Lotah put them down.  
  
She eyed Melana, then Tiros. Melana was taller, but Tiros was much more heavy-set. Melana was probably lighter. "Melana? Can I try to lift you?"  
  
Melana eyed her doubtfully. "Why don't you try lifting yourself instead? You're probably lighter than me."  
"Oh." I should have figured that out myself. Lotah concentrated, and slowly, very slowly, rose into the air. She got two inches off the floor before her concentration wavered for a second and she fell. "That's harder than with the bowls."  
  
"You're very good at it."  
  
"I am?" Melana had told her that she was much better than the Cat woman, but Lotah had pointed out that Melana's skill obviously lay with healing, not telekinetics. Lotah had assumed that she was average for a person who wasn't a healer.  
  
"Yes. You should have more training."  
  
"Assuming we get off this planet alive."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Lotah looked out the door again, and thought that the activity in the square had increased, but she couldn't be certain. "What do you think they're doing?"  
  
"They're your people," Melana answered.  
  
"Hm." Most of the time Lotah had been in a trance, she had been trying to remember if she had ever lived here. Bits and pieces of images came back to her, and she thought that she had lived on the planet. More and more of the language was coming back to her, but she still couldn't make any sense of the people themselves.   
  
"There's some sort of slavery system here," Tiros said without looking up.  
  
"How do you know?"   
  
"You see the way they treat each other. Half of them are bowing to the other half all the time. I'd say that they're born into slavery, and accept it all their lives without even thinking twice. It's the way things are here, and probably have always been. I've seen it before in some other cultures."  
  
"So why are they treating me this way?" Lotah wanted to ask.  
  
Tiros shrugged, and for a second she thought that he didn't know. Then she realized that his shrug was an apology. "My guess would be that you were born a slave, then got kidnapped and sold as a slave out in the modern universe. You never learned that you were always supposed to be a slave, and you didn't learn how to act like one." He smiled grimly. "Because you didn't grow up here believing that you were what you were supposed to be, you escaped. Did you see their faces when you spoke to their ruler and that woman? I bet that the local slaves don't even speak unless spoken too, much less argue with their masters. They're keeping you here because they don't know what to make of you."  
  
"But how do you know I was supposed to be a slave?" Lotah asked, getting angry. She wasn't a slave, and never would be one again.   
  
"I don't. I'm just guessing. But you have to admit that it fits what we've seen."  
  
Lotah didn't want him to be right. "Fine. Whatever."  
  
She wasn't a slave, and sitting here waiting for who-knows-what was much better than being in that jail again. And I'm not a slave. She shook her head, trying to dispel the doubts.  
  
Dowla walked into the room and bowed deeply to her. Lotah glanced at Tiros. How does he explain this sort of behavior? "Would you come with me?" he asked in Basic. Lotah stood up. The others started to follow her, but Dowla held up a hand. "Just her, for now."   
Dowla led her back to the big hut, which was now quite crowded. An aisle was opened for them and they walked up to the throne unhindered. When they got there, Lotah saw that there were now two thrones at the end of the room. A woman with white hair was sitting in it, and behind her were several people with yellow eyes. Sitting on the ground at her feet were an older woman and man with hair about the same color as Lotah's. Dowla got down on his hands and knees to bow to the two rulers. Lotah didn't. She inclined her head respectfully, but remained standing. The woman stood up and started yelling something about insults, but the man whispered something to her, and she calmed down, although she still looked angry. Lotah was getting tired of people yelling at her.  
  
"You should bow to her," the older man said in his own language. He was being careful to speak slowly enough for Lotah to understand him. "She has come from her own village to verify your birth."   
  
Lotah still didn't have any idea what he was talking about and was going to say so when the woman burst out, "Village! This is no village! It is wrong! It is..." she started talking too fast for Lotah to follow.  
  
The old man and the woman immediately got into an argument, and for several minutes Lotah stood there, forgotten. Then they finished their argument, whatever it was about, and turned back to her. "She beat a yellow?" the woman asked scornfully. "Your warriors are weak, as should be expected from such a place." That started another argument that lasted for ten minutes. The rest of the room waited patiently, showing no signs of either interest or opinion about the argument. The entire scene was beginning to look ridiculous.  
  
When they finished again, and the woman spoke sharply to the two people sitting on the floor. Up until now they hadn't even looked up at Lotah. Now they bowed again to the woman, then stood up and looked at Lotah. The woman's eyes opened wide, and Lotah could feel her joy. "Is it her?" the woman asked the man in their tongue.   
  
"It looks like her," the man said, walking around Lotah in a circle.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lotah asked in Basic. The two exchanged a startled glance, and Lotah realized that whoever they were, they didn't understand Basic. Lotah concentrated, then said, "What you doing?" in the other language. It wasn't great, but they should be able to understand her.   
  
"We are looking at you," the woman said, as if that explained everything. "She had a mark," she said to the man, pointing to Lotah's thigh.   
  
The man nodded. "Do you..." he addressed her, "have a..." she missed a few words, "...spot here?" he pointed to Lotah's thigh.   
  
As a matter of fact, Lotah did have a birthmark on her right thigh - a small black mark that looked sort of like a hand. "I have a birthmark there," she answered, then translated it, clumsily, into the other language.   
  
The woman and man looked even happier. The man looked closely at Lotah's face, then at the woman, then back at Lotah. He said something that Lotah missed. Her partial memory of the language was frustrating. The woman said, "Are you called Lotah?"  
  
Lotah jumped. "How did you know that?" she demanded. She looked at Dowla. "Did you tell them?" He shook his head. There was a worried expression on his face. Curiosity and the feeling that something was wrong made her mind work faster. "How did you know what my name is?" she asked in their language.   
  
Suddenly the woman hugged her, and then the man hugged both of them. Lotah fought to free herself. "What are you doing? Who are they?" she asked Dowla.   
  
He glanced at the two rulers, who nodded. They were both smiling in a way Lotah didn't trust. Dowla looked at her. "They're your parents."  
  
"My what?" Lotah stopped trying to get them to let go. For the first time she noticed the similar lines of her mother's face, her father's nose... "They're my parents?"  
  
They let go of her, smiling happily. "We named you Lotah at your birth over 16 years ago," the man... her father?... told her proudly.   
  
Dowla smiled bitterly. "Come," he said in Basic. "There's a room where you can talk. I think that you have a lot to talk about." 


	13. XIII

Melana was finding it very hard to control her anxiety. It had been almost two hours since that man had taken Lotah away, and they hadn't heard anything from her since. Then, just as suddenly as she had left, Lotah returned. She marched into the hut without looking at anyone and sat on the floor, facing the wall. Dowla entered the hut just after her and seated himself right next to the door. Melana could feel Lotah seething with barely contained rage.  
  
"What happened?" Melana asked Dowla. He didn't even look at her, much less answer. But Lotah did.   
  
"I met my parents."  
  
"Well," Tiros said, getting to his feet. "That's good, isn't it?"  
  
She didn't answer for several minutes, and when she finally did, she didn't answer his question. "You were right." It almost came out as a whisper.  
  
"What?"   
  
Melana was watching Lotah very carefully. The girl now had her anger barely under control, but it still existed. What had upset her so?  
  
"You were right, my parents are slaves, as are my brothers and sisters."  
  
"Well, that doesn't mean anything," Tiros said uneasily. "I'm sure they're fine people."   
  
Melana stared at him. What the heck was he talking about? He'd never sounded like this before.   
  
"Oh, they're wonderful people," Lotah said bitterly. "Do you know why I got to meet them? Do you know why their owner took the trouble to bring them from their village here? They gave me plenty of time to talk to my parents, in private, and in all that time, the only thing that they talked about was my proper place in life!"   
  
"Your proper place?"  
  
"They brought them here to convince me to be a good little slave. They told me all about the wonderful life they lead, and how 'reds' can't fight - we don't have the physical or mental capacity, and how I shamed the family every time I didn't do what I was told!"  
  
Melana tried to calm Lotah down. "It's not their fault. They were raised to believe that they were something less than the others - they can't understand how you could be different."  
  
"I know. But..." now Lotah sounded like she was about to cry.  
  
"But what?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You're sure they were your parents?" Tiros asked.  
  
"They're my parents."  
  
"Well, at least you finally got to meet them, after you were kidnapped all those years ago," Tiros seemed to be grasping at straws.   
  
"I wasn't kidnapped." There was another surge of anger.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said I wasn't kidnapped, I was traded."  
  
"Traded? You must be mistaken. Slaves can't own anything, so they couldn't trade you away, even if they wanted to, which I'm sure they didn't," Tiros added.  
  
"You don't understand," Lotah said. She twisted and looked over her shoulder at Melana. "The Imps kidnapped another child - a yellow. Yellows are the second highest class here, next to the whites. Reds are the second lowest - only blacks are lower. The rulers arranged a trade - the one yellow girl for four black and red children. My parents were ordered to give me to the Imps so that that one girl could go free, and they did it without hesitating." Lotah looked back at the wall. "They didn't even try to keep me."There was silence in the hut. Then a strange coughing noise. It took Melana a minute to realize that Lotah was actually crying. Melana didn't know what to do - her people didn't cry, not from the day they were born. Most of the time Lotah had never even shown signs of emotion, much less a loss of control like this. Melana was at a loss about what to do.  
  
Tiros wasn't. Up until now, he had been cold towards Lotah, distrusting. Now he got up from his seat and walked over to Lotah. He lay a hand on her back, and Melana saw her stiffen. "It's all right," Tiros murmured. "Everyone's allowed to cry once in a while, just let it out."  
  
Suddenly Melana realized that Tiros was playing father to Lotah. Something in their current situation must have brought it out - maybe he was reminded of Tian, or of his own parents. Lotah didn't make a sound, other than gasping for air every couple of seconds, but she relaxed slightly under Tiros' touch. It was several minutes before she got control of herself. Then she moved away from Tiros and into a corner. She sat there, in silence, for the better part of an hour. Every now and then Melana tried to touch her with the Force, only to find Lotah's thoughts a swirl of emotions. And every time that Melana reached out, Lotah could feel her, and grew even more agitated.   
  
For the entire hour Lotah didn't say one word to anyone else, although Melana heard her muttering to herself several times, and she cried silently. Melana worried that Lotah would go insane, or kill herself, or reach for the Dark Side of the Force. But none of those things happened.  
  
Finally Melana reached out with her mind, and found that most of the anger she had sensed earlier was either gone or under control. She never would have thought Lotah was capable of such emotions, or of releasing (and controlling) them so quickly. "Are you all right?" Melana asked uncomfortably. The anger Lotah had just displayed was just as intense as any Huntlust, and just as dangerous, too. Master Skywalker had been very concerned when Melana first displayed her Huntlust at the Academy, and had told her that she had to get it under control, or she might fall victim to the Dark Side. Now it seemed Lotah was in similar danger.  
  
"I'm fine." Lotah's voice was steady, calm. She turned around, and although Melana could see (and smell) the tears on her cheeks, her eyes were clear, although filled with pain.   
  
"Are you sure?" Tiros asked, a worried expression on his face.  
  
"It's not really my parents fault," Lotah said sadly, thoughtfully. "They did... do love me - it's just what they believe. They honestly do think they're something less than those of a higher class, and I guess I would have thought the same thing if I was in their place. In a way it was a good thing that they were forced to give me away, otherwise I'd still be a slave here, and I wouldn't be able to escape." She closed her eyes for a second. "I learned a lot about their culture, talking to them."  
  
"It's your culture too," Tiros reminded her.  
  
"But it's not," Lotah said, smiling bitterly. "I've been trying to remember what it was like, living here as one of them, instead of an outsider, but I can't. I can't even imagine living as they do, thinking that I'm less of a person just because I was born with red eyes instead of blue or yellow. I grew up in the stars, I learned right and wrong up there, and that's where I belong. What I consider evil is the right thing here, and I'm the one who's evil, an embarrassment and an abomination."  
  
"And your parents?"  
  
Lotah closed her eyes. "I barely remember them, but I did... do love them. But I can't stay here. I would go crazy, even if I chose not to be a slave. I have a choice, now, because I fought those men, right, Dowla?" she asked challengingly. He nodded. "My parents don't understand. None of them do - that's why they always do whatever the Imps want. They're lucky that every last one hasn't been shipped off planet."  
  
"I don't understand what the problem is," Melana said. What was there to not understand?   
  
"See? The way we live is so different from them - different ideals, different standards, different expectations... the only reason I can understand them at all is because I was born here and remember a little of what my parents used to tell me. I don't agree with them, but I remember. The concept of disobeying their masters is foreign to them. They can't figure out how I managed to fight anyone and win. Reds don't fight, they don't speak back, and they don't question anything that they are told to do. It just never occurred to any of them that they don't have to listen, or that they could go around the rules, or disobey them entirely. There's even a system built in so that people can change their status, like I did, but it is so seldom used that it might as well not exist at all. They just can't imagine... doing anything differently than the last five hundred generations have done it."  
  
"I can," Dowla said quietly.  
  
Lotah turned around. "Yes. You're different. Why? No, don't bow to me," she said as he started to lean over. "I won't have anyone bowing to me like I'm their master. I don't have slaves."  
  
Dowla nodded, although he looked uneasy. Lotah said, "I'm different because I grew up away from this culture, but you grew up on this world, and you're still different. Why?"  
  
"I don't know," Dowla said, looking at the ground. "When I was growing up, I used to ask my parents all sorts of questions a blue had no right asking. Like how to hunt, how to defend myself. I wasn't a good son to them, and I didn't want to shame or upset them, so as I grew older, I pretended to not care." Melana realized how hard his life must have been, forced into a life of slavery, where everyone else was happy and didn't see anything wrong with the system. How horrible to have to bend to the system in order to survive! And all that time he must have felt utterly alone. "But I did care. I secretly watched the hunters practice, so I learned to fight and survive in the forests. One day I challenged a green, and I beat him. I was the first person to move up in rank in seven generations. A few weeks later I challenged an orange, and I beat him too, so I received a rank of an orange. I was going to challenge a yellow, but before I could, they gave me to the off-worlders. They aren't supposed to give away oranges, but for me they made an exception." For the first time since she had gotten here, Melana heard a touch of bitterness in his voice. "I learned to survive there, too, I learned their language faster than anyone else, and I pretended to be just like everyone else, content that they had helped their village by becoming slaves to the offworlders. But I also learned things out there - I learned that there were people who had actually escaped slavery! Escaped it! Do you know how wonderful that is?" he asked Lotah, forgetting for a second that she was supposed to be of a higher rank than he. "Just to know that it's possible? Just to know that I wasn't the only one in the entire universe who wanted to go above their station? I didn't even know that it was possible, until I did it, and then I found out that other people had done it before! It was amazing!" his face practically glowed. "But I wasn't sure if I could do it - I mean, the others who had escaped were just stories I'd heard from traders - not my own people. I didn't even know if they were true stories or not. So one night I ran away into the forest, and I waited there for three days. No one found me, and I was actually free for those three days!"  
  
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Lotah asked, the dreamy expression on her face momentarily hiding the pain. "There is nothing else like it, not in the entire galaxy. I know."  
  
"Yes, you do understand, don't you?" Dowla nodded. "But I had nowhere to go. So I returned to my masters. They thought that someone had sent me on business. Over the last few years, I've been slipping in and out of that city, in and out of the villages. Everyone has to accept me as an orange, although they won't let me go any higher, and they hate me. I've found others - not many, but enough to start a village - who feel the way I do, some among the off-worlders, some still in villages. We want to start our own village, but if we do the others will just tell the off-worlders where we are, and they'll capture us again."  
  
"So what are you going to do?" Melana asked.  
  
"That's what I'm doing here," Dowla replied, glancing out the door. It was clear that he was gaining confidence. "There are two types of villages, one very traditional and one type who are trying to adapt to the offworlders' presence here - this village is the second kind. The whites here believe that the off-worlders have no right to our people. They want the off-worlders to leave our planet, so that things can get back to the way they used to be, with our people not being shipped off as slaves to other worlds."  
  
"Amazing hypocrisy," Lotah murmured.  
  
"What is that word?" Dowla asked.  
  
"It means you say one thing and do another. They are against slavery in the sense that they don't want their people taken off planet, but they have no problem having slaves of their own here. It's not exactly hypocrisy, but it's close. So, what are you going to do?"  
  
"Even as slaves, our people are loyal to us. This particular village, and several others like it, have been sending out slaves with orders to wait for a signal to help bring down their masters. They're going to try to drive them off the planet, then the slaves will return to their lives here."  
  
"There's a cruiser up there that will destroy the face of this planet if you try to take control down here," Melana said, alarmed. Her own world had been threatened with similar punishment if they ever tried to take their world back, she had been told.  
  
"We know that," Dowla told her. "The off-worlders have been taking the brightest of the slaves up to that ship to serve the officers. I have been told that the ship is woefully understaffed. The slaves there are also waiting. If necessary they will crash the ship into the moon to protect our world, but we will try to take it intact, for protection. But we know very little about the ship, how it works, how to fight those aboard... And until the offworlders are gone, we can't try to be free."  
  
"So you and the others like you are helping to get rid of the Imps," Lotah said. "Then, when they're gone and the other villages have no recourse, you'll all leave to form your own village."  
  
Dowla nodded. "Maybe, one day, we will also go to the stars, but for now it will be enough to be free, and to encourage others to join us."  
  
"What do you want with me?" Lotah suddenly asked, staring at Dowla. "I saw the look on your face when we first met - why did you save me? The entire attempt to regain control of your planet was jeopardized if one of the Imps noticed that you helped us, so why take the risk?"  
  
"We need your help," Dowla said, looking like he wanted to bow again. "You're proof that the lower classes can fight, can think for themselves. You're a better fighter than anyone of the higher classes, and you probably know more, too. The only information we have about the off-worlders is the little that I'm able to bring. You know how to fight them, how they think, what their weapons are capable of. You have off-world allies," he gestured to Melana and Tiros, "who know more, too. If we are to succeed, we need that information. We need you to teach us."  
  
Lotah looked at him for a minute, then walked to the door. She watched the unending light show in the sky, and held out her hand, looking at the colors playing across her pale skin. "If, with some kind of miracle, we do manage to get the Imps off this world, you will go start another village, where there are no classes or slaves?"  
  
Dowla nodded. "That is our intention."  
  
Lotah turned away from the door. "Would you help?" she asked Melana and Tiros.  
  
Melana nodded. This planet reminded her of the situation on her home world, and she couldn't turn away from it, or Lotah. Not after all they'd been through, and all they'd learned about each other. But she didn't know how Tiros would react.  
  
Tiros sighed, looked to the sky as if asking the stars for guidance, then nodded. "Going against slavery's how I got into this mess, there's no reason to put my head back on now."  
  
Lotah looked surprised at his comment, but Melana remembered what Cahi had told her about the older man, and understood.  
  
"You will help?" Dowla asked.  
  
Lotah nodded. "We'll do what we can. But there are two more members of our party who are waiting in the ship."  
  
Dowla nodded. "I will send some people to get them, but you must speak to the whites."  
  
"I'd better go, too," Tiros said. "I know Tian - he won't come unless he has proof that your people are telling the truth."  
  
"I will go, too," Melana told them. "There are supplies in Cahi that I believe will prove useful to us, but I'm the only one who knows where they are."  
  
Lotah nodded calmly, and Melana was amazed how quickly she had gone from hysterical angry to calm and collected. "Are you sure you're all right?" she asked quietly.   
  
Lotah smiled grimly. "This isn't really my home," she whispered, "but I want to do something so that someday I might return and see something to be proud of. It's the least I can do for them."  
  
"Not that, your parents..."  
  
Lotah shook her head. "I'll be fine. After all, they're happy... and I suppose that pleases me. They won't change, and neither will I. Maybe something that I do here might help one of my brothers or sisters, or their children... someday."  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Tian stared out the viewport. Where the hell were they?! It had been almost eight hours since they'd left, and not a word!   
  
"I'll let you know if anyone's coming," Cahi reminded him.  
  
"I know, I just wish I knew what was going on. I hate waiting." He slouched down into one of the seats. "It drives me crazy. They could be prisoners, or hurt, or dead, and I can't do a thing about it!"  
  
"They know how to take care of themselves," Lorb said, entering the cockpit. He sat down in the copilot's seat and sighed. "Your dad's a big boy, and I pity anyone who tries to hurt Melana or Lotah. Besides, they were invited. It's not like they're sneaking around out there, spying."  
  
"I know! I just hate waiting!"  
  
"Take it easy." Lorb put a hand on Tian's good leg. "Complaining about it won't change anything."  
  
Tian shot Lorb a betrayed look and got up to go back to the bunk. If he had to wait, at least he didn't have to be lectured, too. Then Cahi said, "I detect a large group of life-forms heading this way."  
  
"How many?"  
  
"Ten to fifteen - the trees are still messing up my sensors."  
  
Tian and Lorb glanced at each other, then headed back to the bunk for their weapons. It could be Lotah and the others returning with their friends, or it could be some natives getting ready to attack, or it could be some sort of Imperial patrol. They didn't know, so they had to be ready for anything. They looked at the screen in the bunk. "Cahi?" Lorb asked. "Where are they?" Her image appeared on the screen.  
  
"I'll be able to get a visual on them in fifteen seconds," Cahi replied.  
  
"Keep the outer door locked until we see who they are," Lorb ordered.  
  
"I know!" Cahi said. A few tense seconds passed, then Cahi's image disappeared, to be replaced by an image of the woods outside. Tian could dimly see a group of humanoids moving through the underbrush, coming towards the ship.  
  
That's the direction that the others went when they left, he thought, trying to stem the hope that sprung from the thought. They had to be sure before they jumped to any conclusions.   
  
The group moved closer, finally moving from the shadows into the light. The screen zoomed in on the faces of the first people. There was one native leading the way, then he saw Tiros! A few steps behind him, Melana followed. Tian grinned, then paused. They could be prisoners.  
  
He glanced at Lorb and saw that the same thing was running through his mind. "I don't suppose that you and your father have any sort of signal worked out if they're trouble?" Lorb asked hopefully.  
  
Tian nodded. "We've got something worked out, but we have to be able to talk." He headed for the ramp at a fast hobble. Once there, he called, "Cahi, are they here yet?"  
  
"They're waiting outside."  
  
"Open the ramp partway, but get ready to pull it back up if you need to."  
  
The ramp slowly moved downward, then stopped at the halfway point. Tian could clearly see his father's face and arms. Tian didn't say anything, waiting for his father's words.  
  
"It's all right, Tian," Tiros finally said. "We're not prisoners - they were just guiding us through the forest, and they're going to help us get back to the village." All through his speech Tiros didn't move his arms or hands, until he finished, when he crossed his arms. Tian relaxed. If anything had been wrong, Tiros would have signaled him during the talking, and him crossing his arms at the end just served to prove that he wasn't under restraint.   
  
"Open the ramp the rest of the way," Tian told Cahi, who did. Tiros and Melana walked up the ramp, leaving the natives on the ground below.   
  
Then Tina noticed that they were one person short. "Where's Lotah?" he asked.  
  
"She's fine," Tiros said. "This is her homeworld, and she's talking to the leaders of this village about what she experienced and where she's been."   
  
Tian knew his father well enough to know that he wasn't telling everything, but he didn't comment on that. Not now, with all of these strangers around. "What are we doing?" he asked instead, trying to put his concern for Lotah out of his mind.  
  
"We came to get you and Lorb, and some supplies. We're going to bring these villagers some real weapons."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Tiros scratched his head. "Believe it or not, we're starting a rebellion on this planet. Some of the natives want to drive the Imps off this world, and Lotah's set on helping them."   
  
"We're going to drive the Imps off this world?" Tian asked doubtfully.  
  
"It has a better chance of working than you'd think," Tiros said. "I'll explain why on the way. How's your knee?"  
  
"Getting better, but it still needs time. Where are we going?"  
  
"Back to the village. It's about ten or twelve klicks. I'm sure they can make some kind of cane or crutch for you."  
  
"What about Cahi?" Tian had gotten to know the girl - computer - better in the last few hours, and he knew that she'd hate being left out of anything.  
  
"Not a problem," Lorb said, coming up behind him. He waved a small cylinder at Tian. "I've got something. It's a direct link from this recording device to Cahi. Thought there had to be some good use for the stuff Kenneth left behind." He grinned. "It'll transmit everything that comes in range of this thing to Cahi - visuals, sound, even temperature. And it can receive her voice. Anything that you want to know, she'll be able to find for you."  
  
The cylinder said in Cahi's voice, "Best thing next to actually being there."   
  
Tiros rolled his eyes, and Tian wasn't sure that he disagreed with his father. He didn't really like the idea of being able to carry around Cahi in that little cylinder, or of having her see everything that Lorb did, but it wasn't really his choice.   
  
"Please assist me," Melana said from the cargo bay. "We will bring the boxes out of the ship and Lotah's people will carry it back to the village."  
  
They all walked back to the cargo bay, Tian trying to hide his limping. Melana stared at him. "How is your leg?"  
  
He looked at it. "All right," he said, not wanting to lie but also not wanting to be left out. One look at Melana told him that she didn't believe one word of what he was saying.   
  
"Here," she tossed a piece of wood at him. He automatically caught it, then stared at what was in his hand.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's a crutch," Melana said, not looking at him. She was too busy unfastening the red lines that held the boxes in place. Tian couldn't imagine what she had expected to do with all this stuff. They had been looking for a killer, not waging a war.  
  
Or maybe she had seen this coming. She was training to be a Jedi. Who knew what she could do?  
  
"I've never seen a crutch that looked like this."  
  
"It's from my world. It's the old style of crutch, before people knew how to use repulsors and had antigravity machines. You stick the padded part under your arm and lean on the stick to take the weight off your leg."  
  
Tian tried it and discovered that it was almost as good as a modern-day crutch. He practiced walking with it while everyone else carried several large boxes outside. Some of the natives immediately took them and headed off into the wood. They removed seven large boxes, the contents of which were still a mystery to Tian, before Melana said that all the useful stuff was gone. The remaining natives were still waiting outside when they disembarked. "Close the ramp, Cahi," Lorb said, and the ramp closed. Tian saw that he had the cylinder thing in his pocket.  
  
The natives still hadn't said a word, but at a nod from Melana, they turned and led the way back into the forest. Tian struggled to keep up with his father. "So what happened?"  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Lotah stood quietly with Dowla among the whites and yellows, trying to ignore both the glares of those around her, and the sad, disappointed looks her parents were giving her. But when the two leaders came back in and her parents bowed their heads to the floor, Lotah had to bite her lip to keep from loosing control again. The woman looked scornfully from Lotah to her parents and back to Lotah.   
  
"I thought you said that she would be taken care of," the woman said to the man in their own language. Everyone around her pretended not to hear the comment, but Lotah didn't. Instead she stared straight at the woman until she glanced down. I'm not a slave, or an animal that you can speak about while I'm in the room like I'm not even here. That's beyond arrogant - it's just rude.   
  
"I thought she would be," the man muttered, and gestured for her to approach the two thrones.   
  
Lotah walked through the crowd of people directly to the throne. She bowed, but didn't get down on her hands and knees like Dowla. The man glared furiously. "Have you spoken with your parents?" he asked.  
  
Lotah nodded. "I have," she replied in their language.   
  
Neither ruler could hide their surprise, but the woman got herself back under control first. "And?" she inquired, leaning forward slightly.  
  
"And what?" Lotah asked innocently. Now that she was back in control of herself, she could see the patterns of power around her. She'd had years of practice at adapting quickly to different cultures - this was no different. It wasn't so hard to learn how to survive in this society, as long as she knew it would only be short term.   
  
"Will you return to your proper place, and join your family?"  
  
Translation: stop upsetting every stupid prejudice that we have, and go back to being a slave, so that we can show everyone that reds really can't do anything. That had been the entire idea, Lotah knew now. The only reason they'd brought her parents out at all was to try to convince her to give up the class she had attained through combat. "I have the status of a yellow, and I choose to keep that status."  
  
"You can't!" the woman shouted, and for once everyone in the room actually stared at her. She glared at them all until they dropped their eyes.  
  
"Why not?" Lotah asked, crossing her arms across her chest. Dowla was still kneeling, but she could feel his satisfaction - his joy - that someone other than himself was finally standing up to the whites.  
  
"It, it isn't done," the woman said, looking like she was about to faint.  
  
"Why? I beat them."  
  
The man got to his feet. "You forget, as ruler of this village, I have the power to dictate the class of any member of it." His voice was shaking with barely controlled fury.  
  
"But I'm not a member of your village," Lotah countered, smiling. They had no experience with anyone ever talking back to them. Consequently, they started to act like spoiled brats when they didn't get their way. Spoiled brats were easy to deal with. And these two were probably better than the rest because they had some experience with Dowla.   
  
"What?!" he cried, drawing looks before everyone remembered their manners. The entire scene was so ridiculous that Lotah almost laughed. A lot of things that weren't supposed to happen in this village were happening today.  
  
"Then you are part of mine," the woman cried triumphantly. "Your parents are of my village, and so are you!"  
  
Lotah shook her head. "I'm not part of any village, like Dowla." They both frowned at the mention of his name. Lotah looked down at Dowla, who was still kneeling. She bent and pulled him to his feet. If I don't have to bow because I'm not part of the tribe, neither does he. He kept his head bowed, glancing at Lotah every few seconds but not looking at the rulers. That was probably for the best - she didn't want them completely mad at him, too.  
  
The woman shook her head angrily. "Dow... that one was cast out of his own village for crimes which cannot be described, they are so horrible." Like wanting to be free. "You have not yet been cast out, and I may not do that if you take your rightful place now." Lotah realized that they still didn't realize that she was glad that she wasn't part of any village, and still regarded being cast out as a punishment. Their loss.  
  
"I'm here to help your - to help my people get rid of the Imperials, who have enslaved this planet," Lotah said, trying not to look at her parents. She couldn't help them here, and even if she could, they wouldn't want her too. She couldn't help herself and looked down. Both of them looked fairly horrified at what she was saying, but that also meant that they were listening to her, which was breaking away from what was 'proper.' Maybe the rest of this planet (other than the few that Dowla had recruited) had some hope, too. "I don't care whether or not I'm part of your village, or any other. I just came here to offer my help, and my knowledge, nothing more."  
  
"I will cast you out!" the woman shouted, her face turning an odd purplish color. She raised a hand, but the man grabbed her arm. He spoke quietly into her ear for a moment. Lotah could tell from the nervous looks around her that this was also highly irregular. Why should the rulers have to whisper, when everyone else was supposed to ignore their conversations?  
  
Lotah could have very easily listened in on what they were saying - the year of hiding had given her very acute hearing - but she thought that she should handle this on their terms, not on hers, with no more of an unfair advantage than she already had. A lifetime of memories of shady dealings and back-stabbing had taught her tricks that no-one here even could have dreamed up. The underhanded tricks she had learned weren't limited to fighting.   
  
She hadn't know before, but now she recognized the woman's threat as the simplest way to deal with this situation. If the woman would just get on with it and cast her out, their entire social system would be safe, and Lotah would be free to help them in her own way.   
  
They finished discussing whatever it was and sat back in their seats again. Lotah could feel their confidence, and saw a glimpse of something in the woman's mind. The man was just trying to protect what he thought was the right way of life, but the woman truly was cruel, much like Lotah's former master. I've got to get my parents and my family out of her hands, Lotah decided, even if it's just to another village. Lotah didn't know what the woman was planning, but she was confident that it would fail. And when it did, her family could be punished for her defiance. Lotah wasn't ready to let that happen.  
  
The woman smiled. "You are part of my village until I cast you out. And I have not done that, yet. So your class is still up to me." She rose, and pointed a finger at Lotah. "All the people shall hear my words! This one, called Lotah, is now and forever shall be a red! And as a red, she has broken our laws, and must be punished! Grab her and bring her outside for punishment!"  
  
Lotah realized that this was about to get really ugly. Even as some of the larger men approached her, uncertainly, for many of them had seen her fight and this ruling was totally irregular, she pulled the knife from her waist. She kicked one of the men who got too close, then raised the knife in the air. She grabbed it with her mind and held it several feet over her head, turning it around slowly. There was a muffled cry from the crowd, and several of those around her fell to their knees, utterly certain that they were going to die. Dowla didn't, although he looked as if he'd seen a ghost.   
  
Lotah aimed the knife at the woman. "May I speak with the two of you. Alone?"  
  
The man agreed before he realized what he was doing. "Everyone leave."  
  
They did. Half of those present almost tripped on each other trying to get out fast enough, while the other half tried to bow and walk at the same time. Lotah looked at Dowla, "You can stay if you want." He shook his head and walked normally out the door. In less than a minute the room was cleared. Lotah grabbed the knife out of the air and put it back in its sheath, trying to compose her words so that she wouldn't cause any more trouble. Enough was enough.  
  
"Are you a god?" the woman whispered.  
  
Great, just great. This is just what I need. Lotah shook her head. "I'm just a regular person."  
  
"But how..."  
  
"I've lived among the stars most of my life, and I've learned a lot there." Lotah got down to business. "Listen, I don't want to take your positions, or your rank, or whatever. All I want is to help you kick the Imperials off this planet so your lives can get back to normal. If you want to kick me out of your village, that's fine, and if you don't, that's fine too. I really don't care. But I'm not your slave. I'm not anyone's slave."   
  
The woman seemed to remember that she was talking to a red. "We don't have slaves," she said indignantly. "You are simply a red, incapable of fighting or thinking..."  
  
Lotah cut her off. "Listen, I really don't care what you think I can and can't do. He knows that I already beat several of his best warriors. But I don't care - I don't intend to stay in either one of your villages when this is over. I just came to offer my help - you're free to refuse it. But if anyone tries to beat me or treat me like a slave again, I will challenge you. And I'll win."  
  
"I will hear no more of this," the woman said. "I see nothing wrong with asking some of our lower classes to protect their villages by serving the off-worlders. And I will hear no more reds who think they're whites upsetting what is right." She paused, and Lotah noticed that she was staring at the knife. "I am leaving, now. You are cast out of my village," she said to Lotah. "And your parents, and their children, too. Find them a home, if you can," and with that, she got up and walked out of the hut, the very picture of offended pride.   
  
As she watched the woman leave, Lotah had to force back a smile. The woman was probably scared out of her mind, but too proud to know it, so she interpreted the fear as disgust. And she still thought that being cast out was the ultimate punishment. At least I don't have to worry about my family. But Lotah realized that to her parents and siblings, being cast out probably was the ultimate punishment. I'll have to figure out what to do about that.  
  
She turned back to the man. "And what is your decision?"  
  
He stood up and paced back and forth for a minute. "You are a mistake, an anomaly that should not have been allowed to exist. By all that we know, reds cannot fight or think, but there you stand." He shook his head. "It's not right, but you do have things that we need. Knowledge, allies, weapons..." He scrutinized her face. "Once the offworlders are driven away, you will leave my village? Never return?"  
  
Lotah nodded. "I promise."  
  
He laughed. "The promise of a red," he muttered. "What are we coming to?" Lotah decided to ignore his comment. "You may stay," he finally said. "Train some of the true warriors, and I will spread the word to other villages like our own. How long must we endure your presence?"  
  
Lotah ignored the insults he threw into the conversation at every sentence. "I don't know. It depends on how much your people know, and how quickly we can organize everyone. Until I know a little more, I can't even give you an estimate."  
  
He didn't look happy, but nodded. "When will you start?"  
  
"Tomorrow. I need some sleep, and to talk with my friends. Dowla will be available to help me?" she asked, raising one eyebrow to let him know what the answer should be.  
  
"If it is necessary. He is not part of my village." Lotah nodded, satisfied. "You have my permission to leave."   
  
Lotah started to tell him that she didn't need anyone's permission to come and go, but thought better of it. He was obviously very distressed at the way things were going, and even if he was rude, her being rude back wouldn't fix anything. "Oh, there's one more thing," she said before she turned to leave.  
  
"What?"   
  
"My entire family has been cast out of my former village, through no fault of their own," Lotah said. "I want to know if they can stay here, at least temporarily."  
  
"You want me to allow them into my village?!"  
  
"Just until the off-worlders are gone. I'll make other arrangements after that."  
  
"What if your entire family are all abominations, such as yourself?"  
  
Lotah shook her head. "There's nothing unusual about my genes. I wouldn't even be here, except that they gave me to the Imperials as a child. It's your own fault - well, the fault of other whites, that I'm the way I am, but my parents and family have no such problems. They just need somewhere to live, and I'm sure that they will work just as hard as any of your own reds," she finished, remembering the joy with which her parents had described their daily chores.  
  
"Very well. They may stay here temporarily, but if at any time I am displeased, they will be cast out."  
  
"Thank you." Lotah bowed at the waist, turned, and walked outside.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Dowla was waiting outside. "What is happening?" he asked in a whisper.   
  
Lotah glanced at the crowd gathered outside the hut. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" she asked quietly, in Basic. Dowla looked around, as if just noticing the crowd, then nodded shortly and led her to the hut that they had been held in earlier.   
  
As soon as they were inside, Dowla said in his own language, "You did not need to do that." It was as close as he had ever come to reprimanding her since she'd attained a higher rank. "They would not have listened to us - not after what happened in the hut. What did you tell her, that made her so angry that she left without first assembling her people?"  
  
"Something she didn't want to hear. She cast me out of her village," Lotah said, unconcerned. "Do you mind if I talk in Basic? You can speak whatever you want - I can understand your language, but I don't speak it as well. And about having privacy - they broke with custom enough to send someone who should have had an orange's rights to the off-worlders as a slave, how do I know they won't do it again?" Dowla considered that, then nodded. Lotah went back to the original question. "I'm staying - the village ruler - what's his name? - has agreed to let me instruct his people on how to fight, and they will spread the word to other villages, without letting them know who's actually in charge."  
  
Dowla nodded. "I thought something like that would happen."  
  
"Is that all right? It won't do much for your people if no one knows that reds can do things."  
  
"That is fine. We have plenty of reds who already believe that they can do more than what is expected, and more will learn. There are even a few in Uripil's village."   
  
"Uripil? That's the woman?" Dowla nodded affirmatively. "Oh, yes, that reminds me. Dowla, that woman, when she cast me out of her village, she also cast out the rest of my family. But the man has agreed to let them stay here, at least until we're done here. But I don't think that Uripil will provide a guide for them, and reds don't know anything about surviving in the jungles, right?"  
  
"They know enough to keep them safe while they look for berries and roots near the village, but not much else. Your family will be helpless in the jungle."  
  
Lotah closed her eyes. This was exactly what she had been trying to prevent. "My parents, where are they?"  
  
"They are still here, outside Grat's - that's the ruler of this village - house. I do not think that they know that they've been cast out, or that they were left behind."  
  
"Bring them to this hut - they'll be safe here, right?"  
  
"They would be safe, but it might be wiser to give them some work to do, to show Grat that they know their place, and to keep them occupied."  
  
Lotah nodded. "Dowla, you know more about this world than I do. If you ever think that I'm making a mistake, you can just tell me, you don't have to pretend to be stupid or anything. Just tell me straight out, all right?"  
  
Dowla looked surprised, then smiled. "Is this the way it always is, between equals? No bowing or hiding things, just talking and helping?"  
  
Lotah smiled back. "Not always, but you don't need to bow to hide anything from me or my friends, all right?"  
"All right," he repeated in Basic, his smile broadening. That was almost a joke. "I'll go see that they're given a task to do." He hesitated. "May I ask a question of you?"  
  
"You don't have to ask me that."  
  
"Oh, well... how is it that you can cause the knife to fly? Are you a magician?"  
  
"No. It's just a skill I learned when I was traveling."  
  
"Could you teach me?"  
  
"I don't think so. You have to be born with the ability, and I don't think you were. Sorry."  
  
"You have no need to apologize to me. I will go see to your parents now."  
  
"Wait! I didn't finish telling you what happened! I told Grat that we'll start working on a plan to get rid of the Imps tomorrow. But today," she hesitated, suddenly shy. "Can you guide me to Uripil's village?"  
  
He nodded, smiling. "You wish to find your family and guide them back here?"  
  
Lotah nodded. "If it's all right with you."  
  
"It would be my pleasure," he said with a quick bow and a flourish of his hand.   
  
"Where did you learn to do that?" she asked.  
  
"Saw one of the off-worlders do it. It looked ridiculous."  
  
"You look ridiculous, too."  
  
"Good." He flashed her another smile before he ran out the door.   
  
Lotah found herself blushing. 


	14. XIV

The other village was less than a two-hour walk, and they didn't walk. They reached the village in less than an hour, several minutes before Uripil's group did. It didn't matter, Dowla had found out that she'd sent runners ahead to cast out Lotah's family, so that she wouldn't have to see them again. They would already be outside the village, in the forest.  
  
The problem, Dowla explained, was that it was harvesting season, so all of the reds and a number of the blues will be out harvesting. The blacks were considered too stupid to do even that, and always stayed inside the village. Lotah shook her head at that. From her perspective, it seemed very counterproductive to automatically exclude a part of the population from being able to help, or at least do anything useful. The blacks were usually kept occupied by carrying things between the huts, or digging pits, or sorting green berries from red ones, useless tasks like that. Pointless waste.  
  
"Can't we just look for a group of people together? I know that I have several brothers and sisters, why don't we look for a bunch of people?"  
  
Dowla shook his head. "You forget that reds are not taught to defend themselves of find their way around the forest - they're supposed to be too stupid. Most reds don't go out looking for berries and roots to harvest in a group less than five people. And there will be many families out together, harvesting. There will even be many children, learning how to work."  
  
"The how are we going to find them?"  
  
"I have a friend, or an ally in this village. A red who thinks as I do, but who was afraid to challenge for fear that Uripil would hurt his family. I have been meeting with him secretly, and he is trying to teach other reds in this village also to think differently. He hasn't had much success, though. He will know who has been cast out."  
  
"Dowla? What happened to your family?"  
  
Dowla stared at the ground. "Exactly what Jendra is afraid of. While I was still in the village, I could protect them, but when I was given to the offworlders, I was also cast out of my village. The whites gave away the rest of my family to other offworlders, and by the time I was free, they were gone, off - planet. My mother, father, and two brothers, all gone."  
  
"I'm sorry," Lotah said. It was the only thing she could think of to say. Which was worse? To loose his family like he had, or to never know it like her? It wasn't a decision that she was ready to make.  
  
"I move forward," he said. "We have to find Jendra now." They crept through the forest, ducking behind trees and bushes every time they heard someone approaching, moving in a slow circle around the village. They saw several groups of reds out, and it was as Dowla had said; large family groups cluttered together in the expanse of forest.   
  
They were halfway around the village before they found the person that Dowla was looking for. The one they were looking for was in a group of eight reds. He looked like he was about twenty, and the oldest of the group. There was a woman(a young one), about eighteen or seventeen, two girls, about ten and eight, three boys, about fifteen, twelve, and eight, Lotah guessed, and one baby. The woman held the baby close to her breast as they stood in the forest. The children were all collecting berries and roots, and the adults were deep in conversation. Every one of them kept casting terrified looks around them into the forest. Absolutely unbelievable, Lotah thought. How can they possibly expect people to get anything done when they teach them so little that they're terrified of the forest they live in?  
  
"Stay here," Dowla whispered. "It's better if they don't see you." He walked over to the group. A few of them saw him coming, the rest jumped and shrieked when he appeared. The man smiled at Dowla, and everyone else dropped to their knees when they saw Dowla. Dowla said something and they all stood back up and went back to work, although several of them kept looking at Dowla.   
  
Dowla said something to the man, who answered, a worried frown on his face. Dowla also frowned, said something else. The man answered, still frowning, and gestured to the forest. Dowla's face lit up, and he nodded several times. The man still looked confused, and Dowla gestured for Lotah to come out of hiding. Lotah stood up and walked over to the group. The man's eyes fixed on her waist, where one of the knives she always carried was clearly visible. His jaw dropped, and he backed up a step.  
  
"Does he know where they are?" Lotah asked.  
  
Dowla didn't answer her question. "Tell her what you told me," he said to the man.  
  
Now the man looked suspicious. "Are you sure?"  
  
Dowla nodded. "I'm sure."  
  
The man looked into the forest and said, "I asked Dowla to guide us through the forest, to help us find somewhere safe."  
  
Lotah glanced at Dowla. From what he'd told her, she'd thought that his followers weren't ready to move yet. Apparently she'd been wrong.  
  
"Tell her why," Dowla insisted.  
  
"This morning all of my family, my parents, my brothers and sisters, my wife and my son, were all cast out of the village. Iryn said it was because one of my siblings had disgraced us, gone against our class, but I think that she found out what I was teaching the other reds, since no one in our family did anything to make Uripil angry. Why do you want me to tell this to another red?" he asked Dowla. "Who is she, that she dares to openly break the laws?"  
  
Lotah's jaw dropped as she realized what he was saying. Maybe it does run in the family.   
  
Dowla said, "This is Lotah, one of our people, given to the off-worlders when she was a child, and returned to help us."  
  
By now everyone had stopped working to listen to the conversation. Well, everyone except the older girl, who was working very hard to make it look like she wasn't listening. The man said, "I... I had a sister named Lotah, once. She was taken from us thirteen years ago, taken off world." He stared at her. "You can't be Lotah."  
  
"Why not?" Dowla asked. Lotah was still speechless.  
  
"Because she was taken off-world. I saw it - one of their ships landed near our village and took her away, with the others. No one who left our world ever returned."  
  
"I did," Lotah said quietly. She was examining his face, trying to remember. If what he was saying was true, if this wasn't some sort of mistake or trick, this man was her brother. Older than me, she thought. I must have some memory of him. The others - the woman must be his wife, and the baby his son, but the others must be more brothers and sisters. Most of them wouldn't even have been born yet, she thought, stunned. A week ago she was an orphan without a planet or even another person of her race, and now she had a family.  
  
He stared at her, stared at her face, and she realized that he was probably doing the same thing she was, trying to remember. "How?"  
  
"My old master died. He had raised me with different values, and set me free in his will."  
  
"Free?" the woman asked in a whisper.  
  
Lotah nodded. "Free. They tried to sell me again, to another master, but I escaped."  
  
"You escaped?" the smallest boy asked. "Really?"  
  
Lotah nodded again. "Like Dowla, only I was still off planet, and I knew more about taking care of myself."  
  
"You know how to fight?" the oldest boy asked. "With a knife?"  
  
"She challenged," Dowla said. "She's yellow class."  
  
"Yellow?" the man asked. His wife and the oldest girl dropped to their knees.   
"Don't do that!" Lotah protested, pulling them to their feet. "I'm not a master, and I won't have anyone bowing to me."  
  
"You're no yellow!" the girl shouted, jumping to her feet. Her face was a very ugly purple color. "You're one of us, and you're the reason that we were cast out!"  
  
"Wyn!" the man shouted, and the girl fell silent. "Lotah?" he reached towards her face, then hesitated. "Is it really you?"  
  
Lotah stepped further into the light, looking up at him. "Do you know me?" she asked.  
  
He reached down and actually played with her hair. Lotah had to control her reaction - she almost attacked at the casual touch. I've been on the run too long. "You look like my Lottie," he murmured.  
  
Lottie? Lotah searched her memories. "Jen? You used to call me Lottie, didn't you?" she murmured, thinking about the dim memories of her childhood on this planet.   
  
Suddenly he froze. "What did you call me?"  
  
"Jen? That's your name, isn't it?" Lotah remembered what Dowla had said earlier. "No, he said your name was Jendra. Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."  
  
His wife stepped up behind Jendra - why did Lotah keep thinking his name was Jen?, her eyes wide. He hugged her. "There have only been two people who ever called me Jen. One is my wife, and the other was my three year old sister who was taken from me when I was seven." He let go of his wife and hugged Lotah. She hesitated, then cautiously hugged him back - she didn't have much experience with this. "I thought I'd never see you again," he said, pulling back. There were actually tears in his eyes. For her.  
  
"I... we..." Lotah got control of herself. "We'd better get back to the other   
village, or we won't make it before dark. I've arranged that you could stay there, at least temporarily."  
  
"Thank you," Jen said, then added, "My... ah... our parents?"  
  
"They're back at the village," she assured him. "They, ah..." she trailed off, not knowing   
  
"They're model reds," the girl, Wyn, said, planting her hands on her hips and glaring furiously.   
  
"Wyn," Jen reproved her. "My... our sister Wynid. She disagrees with the things I've been teaching my wife and brothers and sisters. Thinks that I'm the mistake of the family. Hasn't turned me in, though," he added, smiling at the girl, who grunted but gave him a little smile. For the first time since she'd met her parents, Lotah found herself truly wishing that she had grown up here, been that close to Jen and the siblings she'd never even met.  
  
"You're with Dowla? Against slavery?" Lotah said, starting off back towards the other village. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know. Some of it was just that it felt wrong, but you getting taken away had a lot to do with it."  
  
"I'm glad."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"That you're not... not like our parents," Lotah said slowly, not wanting to hurt his feelings.  
  
He frowned. "I tried to explain it to them when I first met Dowla, but they didn't understand. I don't tell them, anymore. It keeps them happy."  
  
"They're happy because they're doing what they were born to do," Wyn interrupted. "Reds can't fight or hunt because their brains can't handle it..."  
  
Dowla interrupted her. "Your older sister, Lotah, is a very good fighter - she beat oranges and yellows. And I think she's as smart as anyone - you've heard her speak our language, but she speaks the off-worlder's tongue as well."  
  
"Ah, Dowla?" Lotah said. "I'm fluent in five languages, not counting this one, and I speak a half-dozen other ones well enough to get along. My old master had a ship in the lanes, and he taught me all I needed to know to help him."  
  
"Five?" the oldest boy asked incredulously. "And you know how to fight? Will you teach us?" he had been watching her all this time, watching the arguments between Jen and Wyn, watching Lotah's answers, but not saying anything.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Wyn asked scornfully. "Challenge someone?" She was a remarkably good speaker, considering the fact that she only looked like she was ten, and thought that she wasn't as smart as half the people on this planet.  
  
"Maybe," he said evasively.  
  
"If we learned to fight," Jen said, "It isn't to challenge anyone. It's to be free." He turned to Lotah. "You're free, aren't you? You did what we dreamed of but thought wasn't possible - you fought and got your freedom."  
  
"It isn't easy," Lotah said, thinking of all the close calls, the days without food, the pain at the hands of that man... In some ways her parents were happier than she could ever be - they had food and clothes for the rest of their lives, they were confident that they were doing the right thing, and rarely had any actions that had consequences they had to face... But still... "But it's worth it."  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
They talked constantly for the entire walk back, about Lotah's past, about Dowla's plans for the future. It turned out that Wyn was actually twelve - she was just small for her age. Jen's wife's name was Irna, and his infant son was called Redis. The oldest of the boys, Lotah's brother, was Sambun, Sam for short. The second oldest boy was actually thirteen, named Venn, and her youngest siblings were twins, a boy and a girl, each eight years old, named Dalin and Jilla. The family was split fairly evenly - Jendra and Sam were firmly in favor of Dowla's ideas, Wyn was vehemently against it, although her eloquent arguments often proved her own point wrong. Venn tended to side with Wyn, although not as strongly, and the twins were more confused by the discussion than angered by it. Irna nervously followed her husband, and of course the baby was too young to even talk.   
  
Lotah never had much experience with babies - this was the first one she ever remembered touching, although Jen claimed that Venn had actually been born a few days before Lotah was taken, and she had touched him then. That didn't quell Lotah's fascination for her little nephew, and she found herself smiling a lot more at him than she ever did to people her own age. His hair was barely fuzz on his head, but already Lotah could see spots where it would undoubtedly grow in red.   
  
During their discussions, Lotah didn't say anything about Op or the Force. Several times she caught herself thinking, What are you doing? You can trust them! but she still didn't say anything. The caution and secrecy was just too ingrained. And what they don't know can't be tortured out of them. The face of the man back in the jail still was with her, and she thought about him far too often. He would certainly hurt her family in order to convert her.   
  
By the time they got back, Tian and the others had been there for well over an hour. Lotah ushered her family and Dowla into the hut that had been given to them for the duration of the fighting. It was large enough for everyone, although Lotah suspected that Tiros wouldn't be happy about sharing accommodations. "Lotah!" he called as she entered. He struggled to get to his feet and limped over to her, and Lotah made a silent promise to do what she could for him before she went to sleep.  
  
"Tian!" She smiled shyly, unsure of what to do. He also hesitated when he reached her, and finally settled on giving her shoulder a small squeeze.  
  
"We were worried about you!"  
  
"I'm all right," she assured him. Then she thought of her parents. "Well, mostly all right. I found my family."  
  
"Tiros told me about your parents. I'm sorry."  
  
Lotah shook her head. "It's all right - I'm dealing with it. I also found the rest of my family," she pointed to them as they entered the hut. "This is my brother, Jendra, his wife, and my nephew." She named the rest of her relatives as they entered, then switched to their dialect. "Jen, these are my friends - Tian, Tiros, Melana, and Kenneth."  
  
"Offworlders!" Wyn exclaimed, horrified.  
  
"Of course they're offworlders," Sam said condescendingly. "Lotah's been offworld since she was tiny - who else is she going to make friends with?" he asked. Then his confident pose withered as he turned to Jen. "Right?"  
  
"Right," Jen answered, looking nervously at Melana's slim form, and Tian's scales. "Do they understand our language?" he asked Lotah.  
  
She shook her head. "Melana can understand a little, but that's about it."  
  
"Will you tell them it's a pleasure to meet them?"  
  
Lotah relayed the message. "Please tell them that we are also pleased to meet them," Melana said formally. Lotah relayed the message.  
  
"Ask them to talk some more," said a little voice coming from the vicinity of Lorb's chest.   
  
Dowla jumped. "What is that?" he asked in Basic.   
  
"That's Cahi," Lorb said, withdrawing a small cylindrical device from his pocket. "Our ship."  
  
"Your ship?!"  
  
"The ship's computer is looking and listening through this device, since she can't come herself."  
  
"There's something living in the ship?" Dowla asked Lotah.  
  
"Not living. It's like a droid - a sentinent machine, except that it's the ship's main computer, and she doesn't have any body except the ship."  
  
Dowla nodded, looking nervous. "What did she say?"  
  
"Could you talk some more?" Cahi repeated, through the device. "I've got a translation program running, and it's almost done, but I need some more samples of the dialect. When it's done I'll be able to translate for them."  
  
"That's a good idea," Lotah said, and proceeded to explain what was going on to her family, who looked a little lost. That ought to give Cahi enough language, and might prevent a misunderstanding in the future.   
  
"So what's going on?" Tian asked when she finished.  
  
"I got it!" Cahi interrupted. "Do you want to hear?"  
  
"That's all right," Lotah told her, then reconsidered. "Why don't you try translating, so that we don't have to repeat ourselves all the time?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"I promised to start training tomorrow," Lotah answered Tian.  
  
"So you're really going to try to organize a rebellion on this planet? Do you think you have a chance?" Tian obviously didn't think she did, but was trying - clumsily - to avoid saying that.  
  
"More of a chance than you'd think," Lotah said. "The Imps don't pay any attention to their slaves - they don't even bother to lock them up in the jail. The last people they'd expect to fight would be us."  
  
"But will your people fight?" Tiros asked, having seen more of their culture than his son.  
  
Lotah nodded - she had discussed this already with Dowla. "Right now, there are actually more tribes like this - ones who think that the Imps should leave them alone - than ones who will tamely submit to the occupation; and even those will not sabotage our efforts. All those who want to resist will train their people to fight, then go in and exchange places with the slaves already there. Chances are the Imps won't even notice. And, of course, Dowla's people will come here to be trained." She paused, then saw that Tian and Lorb also knew about Dowla's plans for the future. "Even in those villages that are helping to defeat the Imps, the blues, reds and blacks will receive very little combat training - just enough so that they can handle a knife well enough to kill some Imps. If this works, they won't even need to fight - we'll strike at once, and hopefully the fight will be over before it begins. If it doesn't, we're in trouble." She brought herself back to the point. "Anyway, if Dowla's people are to be able to form their own colony, there won't be half enough yellows, whites and oranges to defend the village, so the lower classes are going to have to know as much about fighting as any of the yellows or whites, or they'll be wiped out. So while we're teaching the villagers here to fight, we'll also be teaching whichever lower class people make it here. Dowla's also going to go traveling, to teach some of his people who live farther away." She paused, realizing again just how much work was in front of them. "Does anyone have any suggestions?" She wasn't exactly sure how she had ended up in charge of this thing - it seemed like an awfully large number of coincidences had happened to put her here - but she wasn't going to ruin her people's only chance at freedom by presuming to know anything about this.   
  
"The basics sound all right," Tiros said, "But you're going to have to get a hell of a lot of people organized to pull this off."  
  
Lorb nodded. "You'll need more information on the enemy. I can slip back into the town to get it."   
  
"And you say that you have people up on the Cruiser?" Tian asked. "You're going to have to find some way to contact them, or switch places with them. They have to know what they're doing if they want to disable the ship. You can't just start smashing panels randomly - you've got to take out certain key points, or the redundant systems just kick in."  
  
Lotah felt a rush of relief that she wasn't alone with this. If she made a mistake, they would catch it, and help her fix the problems. The fate of this entire planet wasn't in her hands alone.   
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Captain Randel was reading over the latest reports on the search of the planet when Pol barged into her private quarters without knocking. "How dare you!" she fumed, ready to send him back down to the planet. Not that he seemed to be helping the search at all, but at least when he was down there, she didn't have to deal with his insubordination.  
  
"How dare you, captain?" he returned. "The girl has been missing for over a month, and you do nothing!"  
  
"Nothing!" Randel repeated, incensed. "I have my best people working on tracking down the few ships that escaped the planet before we shut down the ports, and at your insistence, I have sent down another squad of stormtroopers to search the port *again*. How dare you accuse me of doing nothing!"  
  
"Those measures are useless. I keep telling you that the girl never got off planet! I can still feel her down there! Why have you not instigated a surface sweep of the planet? The natives are hiding her, and her friends. They must be!"  
  
"The natives!" Randel laughed. "You obviously do not understand what sort of people we are dealing with. Watch." She stuck her head out into the hall and yelled at one of the natives who was cleaning the floor. They did a better job than droids, complained less, and were more versatile. And there were always more of them down on the surface if the ones up here died. "You! Come here!"  
  
The native immediately set down the cleaning instruments and came over, dropping to his hands and knees as he approached. Randel took two steps to him and kicked him in the side. He grunted, but gave no other sign of discomfort. "Stay there!" she snapped, and he didn't move. "See?" she asked, gesturing scornfully at the being huddled on the floor at her feet. "Half of them are too stupid even to learn Basic, except for a few words. On the planet, the rooms where they keep slaves have no doors! In over ten years of occupation, not one slave has ever even attempted escape! A bunch of bleeding-heart rebels snuck down there a few years ago, and tried to organize some sort of rebellion. The natives actually turned them in to us! They aren't hiding the girl." She poked the huddled form at her feet with a toe. "Go back to work." Without so much as a glance at her, the man (if he could be called a man) rose and went back to his work.  
  
Pol stared at him for several seconds, frowning and wrinkling his forehead in concentration. Finally he said, "Just because that one is what he seems is no reason to believe that all of them are so cowed." It was a pathetic argument, and he seemed to know it.  
  
"A search of the surface would be a waste of time and resources," she said, expecting that to be the end of his objections.  
  
"She *is* on the planet," Pol said, his voice rising slightly. "You *will* authorize a search."  
  
Randel was not going to be ordered around on her own ship. "As captain of this vessel, I have a duty to do my best to make sure it and its crew are serving the Empire the best they can. And their time can be better spent than marching around on the surface of some planet, searching among natives who only barely qualify as sentinent for fugitives who have obviously left the system!"  
  
Pol's eyes looked absolutely black. "Must I remind you, *Captain*, that I have been given full discretionary powers concerning the hunt and capture of this girl, a task that you have already failed at once before. It is my *order*, as well as my wish, that you send men down to the surface at once to start searching for the girl.  
  
Randel ground her teeth but held her silence. She was smart enough to know when it would be best to surrender - or at least look like she surrendered. "Very well. I will have a search crew put together at once. Will that satisfy you?"  
  
"That will be sufficient," Pol said, bowing to her, a gesture that was a mockery, since it was obvious who was in control here. Despite that, she managed to nod back to him and keep her composure until after he left. For a long minute after the door closed behind him, she still stood at attention, angry beyond words that all of her hard work for the Empire (what was left of it) had come down to nothing because of this one man.   
  
He wants a search? Then a search is what he shall get. But Randel wasn't about to waste too many men on this pointless posturing by Pol. She sat down and called for her first officer to come to her quarters. He would certainly know the name of a few stormtroopers - five or six at most - who would benefit from some survival training down on the planet. And if they could question a few villagers about a missing girl, well, that was a search, wasn't it? 


	15. XV

Lotah and the others were extremely busy for well over a month. Besides the basic combat training that virtually all of the villagers (not including, of course, the reds and blacks) received, the few who were going to be sent up to the cruiser needed lessons on how to most quickly and efficiently disable the ship, and others were chosen to disable communications on the planet. Then those lessons had to be taught to other villages all over the planet - half the time they were repeated wrong or the source of the information was questioned - then Lotah and one or two of the off-worlders would have to go to those villages to prove that the planned taking back of the planet was legitimate. And almost every time Lotah went to a new village, talking to whites and not dropping to her knees in front of everyone who was of a higher class(which was almost everyone), she was challenged, again. If nothing else, this was good practice for her fighting skills, and if it sparked wonder and doubt in the minds of a few reds, then it was worth the price in her sweat and blood.  
  
And then, after all of that was done, there was the other rebellion to organize. Most of those meetings took place late at night or early in the morning, when everyone else was asleep. That was when Dowla snuck in blacks, reds, and blues from other villages, and they were trained to fight. Her friends, family, and Dowla took over whenever they could, but word about her was spreading, and almost all of the visitors insisted on seeing her. Most nights Lotah would collapse into bed at two or three in the morning to rise a few hours later at dawn. She found herself relying more and more on the Force to keep her going, until one day Jen marched up to her and demanded that she take a break. She slept through an entire day, then woke up and started working again, much revived.  
  
Lotah was extremely grateful to her friends, who never spoke as much as a word of complaint (at least not in her hearing) about the amount of work they were doing. Tiros turned out to have a lot of technical knowledge about Imperial ships, so he, Cahi, and his son spent hours pinpointing weak spots for the natives to attack. Lorb and Melana spent hours teaching the villagers how to fight, and Lorb took several trips into the port to spy on the Imps.   
  
One day he had some interesting news. "What?" she asked, staring at him. All of the off-worlders and Dowla were staring at Lorb, and a number of the natives present were beginning to look nervous at all the commotion.  
  
"That woman - your former mater - she's an Imp."  
  
"And Imp?" Lotah's brain didn't seem to be working.  
  
"She's the commander of that cruiser up there. The entire ship has been devoted to finding you. They've been chasing you since you escaped."  
  
A shiver ran down Lotah's spine as she realized how lucky she'd been to escape the first time, lucky even that the woman had beat her, prompting her escape. The Imps had been the ones chasing her all the time. If she hadn't escaped the first time, they would have turned her over to people like that man... she shivered again, and tried not to show it. An entire cruiser. They must want me very badly. "It doesn't matter," she forced herself to say. When everyone looked at her in surprise, she continued. "That's good to know, but it doesn't change anything. With her as their leader or not, we still have to attack the Imps to free this world." The others nodded, although a number of them looked far from comfortable.  
  
There were dozens of searches made within the port, where everybody and anybody was questioned about the missing traders, and the port was actually closed for a week, but no searches of the native's villages were actually made, a fact for which Lotah was very glad, because even a casual glance at most of the villages would reveal some major changes. Dowla's people had been working very hard for years, collecting modern weapons and ammunition to arm them, and now they were being put to good use, as hundreds of elite were trained in their use. Dowla held back a few hundred blasters for later, and only a handful of people knew of their existence.   
  
"If we get to the point where we're fighting stormtroopers with blasters in any major battles, we will have already lost," Lotah said to a council of whites and yellows from all over the planet. "We need this to be over before it begins, because we can't hope to face them directly and win."  
  
In addition to the blasters, hundreds of kilos of id were being harvested. Melana was in charge of that project, as she seemed to have a morbid fascination for the poison that had killed her mother. Lotah didn't like stooping to such tactics, but they had no choice if they were going to succeed. She tried to limit the number of deaths by specifying that the poison was to be used only in Imperial mess-houses, not in public restaurants that the traders frequented. What those traders and mercenaries would do was unknown, although Lorb and Tiros thought that most of them would just jump in their ships and leave when the trouble started. Any that ran were to be left alone, they decided, because if this did work, they didn't want a bunch of angry smugglers and assassins (which was what a good number of these people were) coming back. Anyone that fired at them or attacked them was to be considered an enemy.  
  
She hadn't seen much of Tian since this began, although Jen told her that Sam had attached himself to Tian, who had returned the favor by giving him special lessons and stories about life off-world. Lotah could teach her family in the daylight without having to worry about giving away Dowla's secret, but Wyn never participated in the lessons, although she watched every one, her eyes glued to her older sister. Lotah wondered what she really thought of what was going on, and where she would go when Dowla went to form his own village. Jen and his family would certainly go, as would Sam. They would probably bring the twins with them, but Venn and Wyn might go either way. Venn was learning how to fight, which was definitely bringing him closer to Lotah's point of view, much to Wyn's dismay.  
  
Despite different intentions, Lotah found herself avoiding her parents whenever possible as they wandered around the village, doing whatever chores someone had found for them. They did love her, but at the same time were ashamed because one of their daughters was causing such a stir. They were relieved that the rest of their family was safe, but by unspoken agreement, no mention of Dowla's private rebellion was made to them. They were happier that way.  
  
When she was in the village, Lotah spent most of her free time (what little there was) talking with Jen. He remembered things from their childhood, things that she had forgotten because of her age, or because she had forced herself to forget them when she was taken away. Every now and then a word or phrase of his would spark a glimmer of a memory, but very little of it was concrete enough for Lotah to even picture. She still couldn't remember the day that she was taken away from her family, but maybe that was for the best.   
  
Then, a month and a half after Lotah escaped from the prison, word came from the villages nearest to the port - there were groups of stormtroopers coming down in groups of a half-dozen. So far, no damage had been done, but they were poking their noses around in those villages, something that no one had ever done before. Usually the traders or Imps just marched up to the edge of the villages and demanded slaves. The villages never disobeyed, and the off-worlders left. But this time they'd made no demands - they'd just marched into the village and looked into every hut briefly, looking for something.  
  
Looking for me, Lotah thought when the news first arrived, but she tried to shake that conviction. There was no direct evidence that they were looking for her or any of her friends, although it seemed likely.  
Whatever the cause, the stormtroopers didn't stop with one village. With every new group that came down, another village was searched. On purpose, the leaders of this small rebellion hadn't stored any weapons or supplies in any of those villages, and the fighters from the village were trained elsewhere, but at this rate the troopers would reach one of the villages where there was a noticeable difference in less than two weeks. Even if they didn't, their presence was beginning to cause worry and dissention among the natives, and that had to be dealt with immediately. Lotah called a meeting, and within a week had gathered representatives from the hundred-odd villages that were involved. Quickly leaders among those men and women were singled out, and they all gathered together in a hut, the rest milling around nervously outside. At the sight of all those people waiting for a signal that would come from *her*, Lotah had another stab of doubt. What if this failed, and all of those people who had followed her orders died? What if the Imps decided to use this as an excuse to bombard the surface of the planet? She could be responsible for the deaths of an entire people.   
  
"Lotah," Dowla said from the doorway of the main hut, which had been temporarily converted into a meeting room. "They're all gathered."  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
"We have to start mobilizing," Tian said to the assembly. "We have to be ready. It's only a matter of time until they stumble onto something that we won't be able to hide, and then we have to be able to move at an instant's notice."  
  
"We're not ready," Lorb protested, a sentiment which was echoed by several of the village leaders. "Half of the troops aren't in position, and those that are have had less than three weeks of training. It's not enough yet."  
  
"That's why we have to start mobilizing now," Tian insisted, and a low murmur rose from the crowd. Clearly, he had supporters here too. "If we start now, we might get everyone in place before they find us."  
  
"But if we're not properly prepared, it won't matter whether or not we're in place, because it won't do any good," Lorb countered. They were talking for both sides of an argument that had been going on for well over an hour. There were good points on each side, and risk there, also.  
  
Lotah hadn't said anything, mostly because she had no idea which side she agreed with. The truth was that they'd all be a lot better off with another two or three months of training. They might be able to succeed now, but it would be a lot more certain after that time. Unfortunately, they didn't have that time, because everyone had to be in place when they moved, and if the stormtroopers caught wind of what was happening, they would have to move fast. She wasn't sure what to do, but Melana caught her eye and glanced towards the argument. This wasn't getting them anywhere, and it was Lotah's job to see that things kept going.  
  
"How long would it take to get everyone into place?" she asked, interrupting their debate. "If they do find us, and we had to move right away, how quickly could we do it?"  
  
That prompted another debate. Ten minutes later, they'd reached a consensus. The farther villages would need at least a week's warning to get into position, while the nearest would need only a few hours warning. "And if the stormtroopers found something, how long would we have?" she directed her comment at Tiros, who had become their resident expert on Imperial procedure. It seemed that he'd had something to do with them, back before Tian was born. Lotah wasn't asking any questions.  
  
"Standard practice would be for them to call in anything odd immediately. Depending on whether or not they were taken seriously, there could be no reaction to an instant attack on the villages. If they tried that, the teams take less than two minutes to scramble. If they get a chance to call it in."  
  
"If they get a chance?" Lotah asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"We've already got a few people following them. Just assign a couple of fighters to keep an eye on them, and if they find anything, eliminate them before they have a chance to report. They only have short-distance com-links in their helmets - if they want to contact the cruiser or the port, they'll have to carry in better communications equipment. If we hit them fast enough, they won't have time to call it in."  
  
"Assuming we get them before they get off a signal, how long would we have before someone noticed they were missing?"  
  
Tiros shrugged. "Depends on what sort of schedule they're keeping."   
  
Lotah called out, "Who's been watching them?" A yellow from a village a day's walk north of here stepped forward.  
  
"I and some of my men have been watching them, all day and all night long. They come in groups of six, and stay for about a week. The first group called in only once the entire time - one of mine saw them setting up a commu... communi... com station, right after they searched the first village. The second group called in twice, once after they searched the village, and once when on of their men got attacked by a rinsa," he shrugged to indicate bafflement at such stupidity. "The rest seemed to follow that pattern, calling once after visiting a village, and whenever they got into any trouble."  
  
Lotah waited for Cahi to finish translating. She was certainly earning her keep here, acting as a translator and connection to the galaxy off of the planet. It was sort of odd, listening to one of the natives talking. They used an odd mixture of their native tongue and new words spoken in Basic. Lotah actually had the most trouble of anyone - the natives knew only the few Basic words that they used in conversation, and the off-worlders didn't know any of Lotah's native tongue - Lotah kept having trouble switching back and forth between the two languages.  
  
"So depending on when we hit them, we might have anywhere from a few hours to five days to get into position," Lotah observed. "That's still not enough time." She took a deep breath - everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to spout words of wisdom. She wished she had time to talk this over with her friends. "We have to start moving the people in from the further villages - we have to get everyone close enough that we can mobilize in a few hours. Everyone more than a day's walk away, start getting your people into position. Anyone who you think still needs a lot of help, send them to one of our villages for some last-minute training. But the rest should get into their positions and wait. In a week or two we'll know whether or not the stormtroopers will find us." She looked out over the crowd, reaching out with her Force sense to see what they were feeling. Surprisingly, while most of them were nervous with anticipation, very few of them were scared by this sudden turn of events. Maybe she hadn't made the difficulty of their situation clear enough. Should she try to remedy that? She couldn't see any point to scaring them now.  
  
"How about idga?" she continued, using the proper word for the poison that had killed Melana's mother. "Do we have enough?"   
  
Melana nodded. "We have enough, and we already know who's going to take it into the port, and who can get into the kitchens. I can start having it distributed to those people tonight." Not by accident, a lot of the people with the hardest jobs and most responsibility were also people from this village or one of the nearby ones, who had the most access to the training and whom Lotah and her friends knew best.   
  
"And weapons?" Lotah turned to Dowla, who had retained control over that aspect of the training mostly through his stubborn nature and the fact that aside from Lotah, he was the only native with any experience with off-world weapons.  
  
It had occurred to Lotah how narrow the world of her people was. They didn't even have a name for their kind - they always just called each other people, or by the tribe name, and anyone who wasn't from the planet was and off-worlder and an enemy. She wondered whether they would grow out of it when (and if) they found out that not all off-worlders wanted to enslave them.  
  
"We will have to start distributing the weapons immediately. It takes time to sneak them into the port, especially if we don't want anyone to notice," Dowla replied, irony heavy in his voice. The weeks he'd spent with her had certainly changed him. He no longer dropped to his knees whenever someone with a higher rank walked into the room, and his speech patterns had changed, as well. He was more forward, more honest about what he thought, and joked from time to time. It made him a more useful ally, and easier to talk to as a friend.  
  
"All right." Lotah was done, but it occurred to her that she ought to say something encouraging to the crowd before they went back to their villages to start the fight to take back their planet. She froze - what in the stars was she supposed to say? They knew what rested on this - it was their planet, really - and they knew how hard it would be.  
  
Melana leaned over to whisper in her ear. "May the Force be with you."  
  
Lotah glanced at her. Her people didn't know about the Force, not the way the Jedi did, but they did have a belief about the Force. They called it the bond, a powerful connection between this world (the physical plane) and the one beyond, and spoke of it in ceremonies for births and deaths. She quickly translated what Melana said into terms that the others could understand, "May the bond protect and work with us all."  
  
The members of the crowd glanced at each other, surprised by her words, and for a second Lotah thought that she had said the wrong thing. Then the entire crowd dropped to their knees, the greatest sign of respect that they had. It was the first time a white or yellow had ever bowed to her. Lotah smiled nervously, then bowed deeply to them, and they all stood up in a wave. Nothing more was said as they filed out - everyone knew what had to be done.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
That night Lotah had nightmares. Terrible nightmares. She had nightmares all the time, almost every night some weeks, about that woman, fleeing Op's house, and most recently, that man. But nothing like this - this time it was just the same image over and over and over again. Her people, getting ready to attack the Imps, and finding only stormtroopers with blasters aimed at them around every corner, in every room, on the ship... and behind every one of the stormtroopers that man was standing. The one from the prison. He stood there, smiling as her people were slaughtered. Then there were bodies, everywhere... sprawled on floors and ground, slumped in chairs and laying in beds... Jen and Dowla were there, and so was Melana, Lorb... She saw their ship blown to pieces with Tian and his father aboard...   
  
She screamed and woke up, shaking so badly that it took her minutes before she was able to speak. "What's wrong?" Jen asked comfortingly.  
  
"A nightmare," she replied dully. She never had screamed at nightmares before, or been so upset about them. Screams could attract unwanted attention, and besides, nightmares were only memories of bad things that had happened, right?  
  
"What was your nightmare about?" Melana asked seriously.  
  
"The attack. I dreamed it failed."  
  
"That's normal before a big attack," Tiros muttered from his cot. "Just normal jitters. Everyone has them."  
  
Lotah shook her head - there was something very wrong with this dream, but she didn't know what.  
  
"What else?"   
  
"The man from the prison was there. He was behind every death," Lotah said, trying to remember specifics about her dream. Why had he been there every time?  
  
"What man from the prison?" Melana asked, and Lotah realized that she had told no one about her experience when she was captured.  
  
"There was a man at the prison," she said, trying to put aside the fear that any mention of him brought to her. "I think he was working for the Imps. He, he was trying to make me into... I don't know. He was trying to make me use the Dark Side of the Force. He has a little control of the Force, not as much as me or you, but enough. He..." she broke off at the thought of the pain. "He tortured me to try to make me draw on the Dark Side of the Force to protect myself, or to tell him about Op. I... I didn't tell him, and I didn't turn, but I would have, if you didn't rescue me," she said, looking at Melana. "Before you came, I was trying to figure out how I could kill myself so he wouldn't get me."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us this before?"  
  
"I... I thought it was over. I... we were free, and he couldn't find us. I thought he must have left the planet, gone elsewhere..."  
  
"Was he one of the assassins the Imperials are sending out after Jedi?" Lorb asked, and Lotah noticed Tian rubbing his knee.  
  
She shook her head. "I don't think he was trying to kill me." It was something worse, she added mentally. How much more did she have to loose now if he caught her again - a family, friends, a home planet? If he caught her and broke her, she could destroy them all without meaning to.  
  
"Why was he in your dream?" Melana asked.  
  
"I don't know - I have a lot of bad dreams, and he's in a bunch of them. Maybe I just was nervous, like Tiros said, and my mind just stuck him in the dream."  
  
"Do you think so?"   
  
Lotah became aware that the fifteen - odd people in the room were all staring at her. "I... I don't know. It was probably just a dream. We should go back to sleep, tomorrow's going to be a long day."  
  
No one moved. "Sometimes the Jedi have premonitions," Melana told her quietly, but the words seemed to echo in the silent room.  
  
"No," Lotah said desperately. "It can't happen like that. How could it? The Imps don't know we're coming!"  
  
"You said he had a little control over the Force," Melana said. "Is it enough that he might sense what's happening when we start moving people into position?"  
  
"I don't know! But if he could sense that, why hasn't he already told someone?"  
  
"Maybe he doesn't know - you said he wasn't particularly strong. Maybe he'll sense it when we start moving in..."  
  
Lotah's dream was all too clear in her mind. She could see the bodies. It's all my fault. If I wasn't here, he wouldn't have stayed to find me, and all this would work, she thought, forgetting that nothing bad had happened yet. Almost immediately her logical mind rejected that thought. If I wasn't here, the whole revolution would never happen. But I can't let it fail because of me. A plan was already forming in her mind.  
  
"What if he's not paying attention to his surroundings?" she asked Melana, who knew more about this sort of thing than she did. "What if he's concentrating on something else, would that make him miss the signs of our people getting in place?"  
  
"It might," Melana said, nodding. "But what do you have that would get his attention? It would have to be fairly important to him, to distract him from this."  
  
"That's easy," Lotah said, smiling with a confidence she didn't feel. "Me."  
  
The reaction was instantaneous. Almost everyone started protesting, saying that she couldn't go. Everyone except for Melana. "Melana," Lotah said, quieting everyone. "The Jedi have premonitions, don't they?" The Cat woman nodded. "So if I don't do something to change it, the future will happen the way I saw it in my dream?"   
  
Melana nodded again, looking unsure. "No one is certain how, exactly, premonitions work. Some people are very certain of their futures, only to have things go wrong. Others do everything they can to avoid their futures, but it happens anyway. It's a vague warning at best."  
  
"But it probably will happen the way I saw it, right?"  
  
Melana nodded, not happy with the admission.   
  
"So I have to do something to change it." She held up a hand to stall the protests. "If I... if we don't do something to change it, we're all dead anyway, myself included. So we have nothing to loose by me leading him away. It's not like I'm going to turn myself over to him," she added hastily. "But if he's occupied trying to find me, then he won't notice the extra natives moving in and out of the port."   
  
No one looked happy, least of all herself, but they couldn't argue with her plan. "How are you going to get his attention without making yourself too vulnerable?" Tian asked.  
  
"I'm going to need to get into the port. Once I get there, I'll see if I can feel him through the Force - he should be able to sense that. Then I'll just do my best to stay one step ahead of him until everyone's in place. We may have to move sooner rather than later."  
  
"That shouldn't be too much trouble," Tiros said, always clearheaded despite his feelings. "You should wait a day or two, give some of the farthest villagers a chance to get in place. There aren't that many of them, so it shouldn't warn him. Then you go in and distract him. It would have to be for three or four days - do you think you can stay ahead of him that long?" Lotah nodded. "As soon as we can get everyone into place, we give the go - ahead signal, rather than waiting for the Imps to find us out."  
  
The go-ahead signal on the planet would be a loud fight between two of the natives. It almost never happened on it's own, so there was little danger of an early warning. Once the fight ended, word would spread through the port quickly, and everyone should know within a quarter hour what was happening. The attack was supposed to take place exactly one hour after the fight ended.  
  
A signal that would notify the natives on the ship had been harder to figure out, since it was a large ship, and even thought the natives outnumbered the Imps, there still was a lot of ship to cover. It was Tian who finally suggested a method, and although no one liked it, it was the best they could come up with. Tian and Tiros were going to fly the ship up to the cruiser and attack it. There was no way they could even do any minor damage to the huge ship, but it would set off alarms all over the ship, and that was the signal that the saboteurs were waiting for. A few good shots was all they needed, and then they would run - either back to the planet or out of the system, depending on how they were pursued. All they needed was to stay alive long enough to get off those shots, avoid the cruiser's turbolasers and any TIE fighters that were dispatched. It would be exactly as difficult as is sounded, but Tian was confident that they could do it. Tiros was less confident, but agreed that it was the only way they could think of. In case they didn't make it, all of the natives on board were told to attack if they heard about the attack on the planet, but at best that would mean several small acts of sabotage spread throughout the ship, and they really needed a concentrated attack if they were hoping to take the ship.  
  
On the planet, Lorb and Melana were going to sneak into the port and try to steal a second ship when the attack started. If they could, they would also fly it up to try and give the signal. Lotah had been planning to stay on the planet to fight alongside her brother and Dowla, but now it seemed she had a more important mission.   
  
"We can discuss this tomorrow," she finally said. "We should rest while we have a chance." She lay her head back down as an example, but it took her a long time to fall asleep, the image of her dead friends very clear in her mind. 


	16. XVI

Tian watched Lotah disappear into the woods with a feeling of intense frustration. Two days had passed since she'd decided that she had to distract this man from her nightmare, and he hadn't been able to get her alone for even a few seconds to talk.   
  
He didn't know what to think about this 'premonition' of hers. The Jedi had already been almost wiped out when he was born, and there were very few of them around now, so he had no idea if what Melana and Lotah said was true. Not that he thought they would lie to anyone here, so they definitely believed it was true, but them believing was a far cry from it actually being the truth. What it meant was that Lotah was going to put herself in even more danger, and Tian never had a chance to talk to her, alone.  
  
"Something wrong?" said a voice behind him.   
  
"Nothing that hasn't been wrong for a long time," Tian told his father. "Just wondering whether this thing will work, or whether we're all going to get killed..."  
  
"Whether Lotah's going to get killed," his father added with a smile as he stepped next to Tian.  
  
Tian glared at his father. "You don't know what I'm thinking!"  
  
"I can guess." The knowing look on his father's face was hard to take, and Tian was tempted to just stomp off into the forest. He knew enough now that he wouldn't get himself killed in five minutes.  
  
But he was not an infant, and it wasn't any of his father's business, anyway. What did he care what his father thought?  
  
"An interesting young woman," Tiros said, glancing at his son. "Not many who would escape a life of slavery only to risk it again to help people, even if they are her family."  
  
"She doesn't think it's so amazing," Tian said, remembering a conversation he'd had with her just after they started organizing this revolt. "She just thinks that this is what people are supposed to do for their families." In some respects, Lotah was incredibly naive.   
  
"Mmm..."  
  
"Do you think - honestly - that this whole plan is going to work?" Tian asked, trying to turn his attention away from Lotah.  
  
"It might. It just might," Tiros said thoughtfully. "The odds are against us, but then, the odds were against the Rebellion. I think it will work because it has to work."  
  
"The whole, then end of the world is upon us, and we have nothing to lose speech?"  
  
"Not at all. The people here - ourselves included - have a lot to lose. But this will be their only chance, and the Force is with us." That was an odd comment for Tiros, who rarely turned to anything outside of his own expertise and luck to get through life. But then, this wasn't exactly a normal situation for either of them.  
  
That comment did very little to ease Tian's worry, nor did it take his attention away from Lotah. "Do you really believe in the Force?" Sure, he had seen both Melana and Lotah do some amazing things, but that didn't mean that the Force controlled the entire universe.  
  
"You don't remember the old Jedi, and the Old Republic. I was only a kid, but my grandfather told me some of the most amazing stories. The Jedi were legendary for thousands of years. Even their enemies believed in the Force, and if fate, or destiny, or the Force brought Lotah and Melana here, with us, at the right time, then I have to believe the Force is with us."  
  
"You never were such a believer before."  
  
"I never had a reason to believe before. The galaxy is a cruel place, and for many years, nothing was being done to change that. But now there's hope, things are changing, and because we're here, we can be part of it, like I always wanted. That's the why of my belief." Tiros paused. "What is your belief?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"So what are you thinking about?"  
  
"Lotah." Tian glanced at his father, but he didn't have that smug look on his face, thank the stars.  
  
"She's a strong young woman. She'll survive."  
  
"It's not just that."  
  
"What else?"  
  
"If this works, and we aren't all killed, she's going to have her planet and her family. She won't... We'll leave..." he didn't know how to finish.  
  
"She's not going to need us to be her friends, and you'll never see her again," Tiros finished his thoughts for him. "Did you ever try to talk to her?"  
  
"I tried, but I never got a chance."  
  
"Do you think Lotah would just ignore you because she has someone else to trust?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't? After all the time we've spent with her?"  
  
"All right! I don't think she's going to ignore us, but eventually we'll leave, and it's not like this place is a major trade route. I'll probably never see her again, and even if I do, she's got an entire planet here. People like her," like Dowla, he added mentally. She had been spending a lot of time with the native, too much time for Tian's comfort, but what was he supposed to do? "She would never..." he trailed off again, gesturing at the scales on his face that marked him as half-alien.  
  
Tiros nodded slowly. "Things don't always work out the way that we want them to," he said quietly, reminding Tian of his father's own mixed past. "But it's how we deal with those disappointments that shows what sort of people we are. Knowing that you might never see her again, do you still want to participate in this revolt?"  
  
Tian stared at his father. Surely he wasn't suggesting that they just leave?! "Of course I do!"  
  
Tiros smiled. "And that is what makes you a good person, someone I'm proud to have as my son. You wouldn't cause other people to suffer just because you suffer yourself. That's why I know that you will do fine when you leave to join the service," Tian's jaw dropped open at his father's casual reference to what he thought was a carefully guarded secret, "and why I know that you will survive whatever happens here." He obviously wasn't just talking about the revolt.  
  
Tian was still shocked by the revelation that his father knew of plans, and wasn't sure what to say. Finally he said, "Thank you, father."  
  
Tiros put an arm around his shoulder, and they stared silently into the woods.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Sneaking into the port was much easier than Lotah would have expected, until she remembered how easy getting out had been. I've forgotten just how little the Imps and traders think of us. They waited until several hours after sundown, then Lotah, along with a few dozen natives ready to exchange with their counterparts, slowly snuck into the city. She wore the same plain clothing as the slaves, and a hood over her face. Once they were in the city, they didn't even have to sneak around. They just headed to the places where their counterparts were hiding, looking exactly like a bunch of slaves out on errands for their masters. Lotah went with one of them to one of the bigger slave dormitories. The slaves here cleaned the streets of the port and the public gathering places. They were always being moved around or given away or sold, so there were always a few empty beds, and no one would notice one extra slave girl.   
  
Well, no one except for that man, and he wouldn't know it was her. Lotah lay down on one of the crude cots and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep. Staying ahead of the man without attracting any attention would be hard enough without missing sleep. But her body refused to obey her mind - she stayed wide-awake, listening to the sounds of the night and planning the next day's trials. Once she reached out with the Force for a few seconds, just long enough to see that the slaves who had been replaced were safely out of the city, which they were. Then she went back to her sleepless rest.   
  
Several hours later, the lights in the room came on, and all the slaves hurried to get up. Ration bars were distributed and quickly consumed, along with a few cups of water. If this is all the food they get, that's reason enough to run away. Lotah was not at all comfortable, pretending to be a slave, but there wasn't any other way. She'd be spotted as a trader, and there were too few Imps to try to sneak in as one of them. Besides, no one noticed the slaves here. Lotah pulled the hood that covered her face a little farther forward, and filed out with all the others when a low tone sounded throughout the room. Keep your head down, don't attract attention, just keep moving...  
  
As soon as they all got outside, the group split up, going in a dozen different directions. Lotah followed one group at random (one that didn't have any of the rebels she snuck in with) and followed them for a few blocks, then stepped into an alley. A quick touch with the Force told her that no one had noticed her action. Now came the hard part. Lorb and the others had shown her a very detailed map of the port, including all of the little-known streets and access ways that only slaves used. She needed to get to one of the most densely populated regions before she signaled the man.  
  
No one paid her any mind as she walked through the streets, head down, shoulders hunched. Finally she reached the market, where several hundred sentients were gathered. She settled herself in a shaded corner where hopefully no one would notice her sitting there, doing nothing. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she reached for the Force.   
  
It flowed within her, so strong she felt like it could lift her up and carry her away. She took another deep breath, this time to control the energy that ran through her, that was inside of her. Then she reached outward, seeking another who could sense her, who was hunting her. In a few minutes she found him, several klicks away, looking through some reports. In front of his desk, a stormtrooper was standing at attention, waiting to be dismissed. Lotah felt his shock as he noticed her presence, quickly followed by a surge of triumph. She quickly pulled back before he realized she had done this on purpose.   
  
He was already on his way, coming to look for her. Lotah pulled the hood a little farther forward over her face, then walked over to a group of slaves who were resting in the shade of another building. Even the Imps couldn't find stuff for them to do all the time, so they were sent here to wait for their masters to call. Lotah leaned back against the wall, indistinguishable from any other slave. She had an excellent view of the entire square. It took him less than five minutes to reach the marketplace. At least he was intelligent enough not to bring a squad of stormtroopers - nothing scattered a crowd of on-the-edge traders like these as fast as a bunch of authority figures.   
  
Lotah got a great deal of satisfaction, watching his fruitless search of all of the traders in the area. He had no luck, and even went so far as to look very carefully at some obviously alien traders. Eventually he shot a very frustrated look around the square. His eyes passed over her and the other slaves as if they weren't even there. He got back into his personal skimmer and headed off in the opposite direction  
  
She stood up and looked carefully around. No one seemed to have notice. She should find another hiding place, halfway across the city if possible, wait several hours, and then contact him through the Force again. It would be one big game of hide and seek for the next few days, but she could deal with that. As long as he didn't order a complete search of the port, including the slaves, she ought to be able to stay ahead of him. She only had to last until the attack.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
"Is everything set?" Tian asked for the fourth time that hour. He was beginning to get on Tiros's nerves. It was all well and good to be on edge before a battle, but he didn't want Tian to be so wound up that he stopped thinking, or worse, froze.  
  
"They're just as set as they were ten minutes ago," Tiros told his son with a hint of reproach in his voice. He glanced at his chronometer. "Less than two hours until we move." And before his son could say anything, he added, "It's all ready. Everyone's in place. Melana and Lorb moved to positions just outside the port this morning with the last of the troops. The id's ready, the troops are armed, and those near the few ground-based defenses know to hit them first, to clear the way for us. Everything's as ready as we're going to get, so stop pacing."  
  
Tian did stop walking back and forth from the cockpit to the main room and back again. "What about Lotah? No one's heard from her since she went to the port. That was days ago."  
  
"Lotah knows what she's doing. Keep your mind on what we've got to do. We'll find her after this is all over." If she's still alive, he added mentally. He would never admit this to his son, but he did have his doubts as to whether or not the girl was still alive. She might be part Jedi, but he had seen, been part of the Imperial machine, had seen it's efficiency. But the Empire's not what it used to be, he reminded himself, trying to keep a realistic perspective. And she's a survivor. If anyone would survive, she would. But this observation reminded him of something else. He never would have thought that she would risk her neck for anyone else, whoever they were. She'd changed from the cold, silent child that had started this trip. Still cold sometimes, but now she showed emotion at times, and more kindness than he would have thought possible.   
  
On the other hand, how kind is a person who could organize people for an assault like this, where so many will die? He knew he probably wasn't being fair, but he'd never been able to shed the nervous feeling he got whenever he saw her carrying those knives around. "She knows how to take care of herself," he forced himself to say. "You just concentrate on keeping us alive."   
  
Tian nodded nervously and started pacing again. Tiros reviewed his decision to let his son be pilot, with himself as copilot for this flight. He was the first one to admit that Tian was a better pilot than he'd ever be, but Tian didn't have as much combat experience. Tiros didn't think he'd freeze, but this preoccupation with Lotah was dangerous. He wasn't actually sure what the boy thought about her, but at a time like this, any distraction could be deadly. He could still take the pilot's chair - Tian would understand. But damnit, he just wasn't as young as he used to be, and his reflexes weren't what they once were.  
  
He'd taken a good look at himself in the mirror this morning, the way he did every time he was about to go into battle, and wasn't happy with what he saw. Still fit, still trim, but with graying hair (there was much more gray than black now) and more lines around his eyes. His fiftieth birthday had passed a few months earlier. He'd survived in this business longer than most, but a lot of that was due to Tian's help, especially in the last few years. They'd had more than a few close calls... If they survived this, he vowed to make sure Tian did enroll in the New Republic's armed forces. That way he'll have opportunities I never had, and he'll have other things to think about than some girl. There was no doubt in his mind that Lotah was going to fade off into the background of this planet as soon as it was free, to be with her brother and the rest of her family. Maybe if Tian got started on the path he'd always wanted, it would help him cope.  
  
I'll find some regular job hauling cargo in the Corporate sector. They don't ask as many questions, or want as much documentation there. I could get a safe, normal job there. He was getting too old for all this stuff. Tian wouldn't leave him while he thought his father still needed him - in order for him to get on with his life, Tiros would have to convince him that he was fine. Well, he was willing to settle down a little bit, after all these years.  
Of course, that's if we survive today, which is questionable. Tiros brought himself back to the present. He called up a holograph of the planet, with the cruiser orbiting overhead. "Let's go over the approach one more time."  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
"Something's building, I can feel it," Pol insisted. Randel didn't even turn to look at him. "It's even in the air."  
  
"What?" she asked, more to get rid of him than because of any interest.   
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't know? Not very good for the mighty Jedi hunter," she said scornfully. "I thought you said that you'd have her in a matter of hours. That was days ago. I thought you sensed her."  
  
"I did," he insisted grumpily. "I have sensed her several times in the last few days. But so far she has eluded searchers. If you gave me more stormtroopers, I would have her already."   
  
"You have plenty to get the job done," Randel snapped. "It's only one small port. I won't waste any more stormtroopers on one of your wild neekat chases. I've had men searching the woods for weeks, and all they've found is primitive native villages. Furthermore, I've had two men injured on those searches, attacked by some native creatures. It's bad enough that their time is wasted in the woods, but to be injured on top of it..." she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "And why was it necessary for me to come down to the surface? I have many things to do..." (actually, she had very little to do until he found the damned girl)   
  
"This morning I received word from my superiors. The New Republic is putting a lot of pressure on our forces, too much pressure, perhaps. We must capture the girl now. If we have not caught her in one standard week, we have orders to return to the R'threb system. The ship will be refitted for active duty."  
  
Randel suddenly brought her full attention to this development. This was the first time Pol had actually named the system in which the main base of this remnant of the Empire was established. Of course, this was the only true remnant of the Empire, she reminded herself. But this was good news - she would finally get to see some combat, instead of watching her ship's capabilities be ignored as she chased the girl across the quadrant.   
  
Some of what she was thinking must have showed on her face, because Pol said, "Perhaps I did not make myself clear. If, when we arrive, we cannot produce the girl, both you and I will be considered incompetent, incapable of doing our jobs, and we will be removed. You know what the price of failure is." His voice was flat, his words a simple statement of fact.   
  
Randel swallowed, but her fear was quickly eaten up by anger. "This is your fault. If she still is here, it means she never left the planet, and you never sensed her. Some Jedi hunter. You even said yourself that you've sensed her several times. Why don't you have her already?!"  
  
He met her hot anger with a cold one. "Because, as I have explained before, I have an extremely limited sense of the Force. If I were stronger, we would have no need for her, and have just sent an assassin." Randel got even angrier at the mention of an assassin. There'd been one with the girl's group, but they hadn't heard from him since the group disappeared. She was working under the assumption that he had failed and was dead. "But I did find her here - and if my powers are not up to pinpointing her exact position, that is why your ship was assigned to aid my search. Your precious stormtroopers were supposed to do the searching, but they haven't, because you refuse to assign them to me." He met her openly hostile gaze calmly, but there was a light in his eyes that frightened her more than she liked to admit.   
  
And then there was the punishment for failure. Randel swallowed again and tried to ignore the images that the word 'failure' conjured up. "You will have your stormtroopers," she growled through clenched teeth. "However many you need. At once."  
  
He nodded, a particularly smug expression on his face. "I will need 300 stormtroopers down here immediately, in addition to the fifty already stationed here."  
  
"300! That's more than three-quarters of my force! There will be none to defend the ship if it comes under attack!"  
  
"But, as you have stated before, Captain, these miserable natives couldn't mount any sort of attack if their lives depended on it. And you said all I need." He actually smiled, and Randel's anger and frustration increased exponentially. That was all to the good; it drove the fear away.  
  
"Of course," she replied, getting herself under control again. She was the captain of a ship in the service of the Empire, and lost control in front of no one. "You may issue the orders yourself, to see that they are carried out exactly. I wouldn't want you to be disappointed with the results." She hid a smile as he realized how much work she had just given him. She would stay on the planet just long enough to see him totally mess up the organization of her troops, then she would come in, reorganize them, and see to it that her own superior heard how neatly she handled the situation.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Lotah peaked cautiously around the corner of the slave barracks. In the last few hours, the number of stormtroopers on the planet had doubled, tripled, quadrupled... Her mind said that they had somehow found out about the attack, and were strengthening their guards, but her intuition said that wasn't the case. So she didn't panic when they first arrived, and soon she noticed that her gut had been right - they were all searching for her, not preparing for a battle. But it still worried her - why was there such an increase in numbers all of a sudden? Something had happened, something she didn't know about, and that could be dangerous. Only a few hours remained until the attack. Unconsciously Lotah looked at the rising sun, wishing that slaves were allowed to have chronometers. It would have made things a lot simpler.  
  
Might as well wish that the Imps would just pack up and leave in peace, she thought, glancing down again to make sure her knives were still out of sight. Slaves weren't supposed to carry weapons, either, but the Imps were unlikely to notice the slight bulges in her shirt around her waist. In any case, she wasn't going to be unarmed when the fighting began, and unlike most of the others, she had no place to hide a blaster. Her gaze returned to the sun. In the next hour, her people would begin collecting those weapons from their hiding places, getting ready to fight for real, most of them for the first time in their lives. And now there were even more stormtroopers in the port.   
Maybe I should let them catch me, she thought. Then the extra stormtroopers would leave. It was probably too late for the Imps to mobilize, anyway, so it wouldn't matter if she wasn't attracting the man's attention anymore. Actually, I'd probably still have his attention. Lotah shuddered, and knew that she wouldn't, couldn't turn herself in. She could never consciously make the decision to give herself to him, not even if it hurt her people. And what sort of person does that make me?  
  
"Mam?" said a voice behind her. Lotah jumped and spun. She had a knife halfway out of hiding before she realized that the word had been spoken in the native tongue. It had to be one her people. Even if one of the Imps knew their language, they wouldn't be calling her 'mam'.   
  
Lotah was too tense and too tired to tell whoever it was not to call her 'mam'. They didn't do that with anyone else, and it was a shade to close to 'master' for her comfort. "Yes?" She thought that she recognized the blue-eyed woman in front of her. One of the better fighters and leaders from a village halfway on the other side of the continent. A strong person despite the fact that she was blue and grew up with no contact from Dowla or one of his allies. She'd probably join Dowla when this was over. If she's still alive.  
  
Lotah wished she hadn't thought of that.   
  
"There are many more off-worlders, and little time left." The woman also glanced at the sun. "Do we continue as we planned, or should we wait?"  
  
Lotah shook her head to the latter suggestion. It was too late to stop the attack even if she had wanted to. They might be able to get word out to all of the people in the port, but they'd never get word to the ship in time, and Tian would launch the space part of the attack. Without the people on the ground destroying land-based defenses, the ship's chance of getting to the cruiser were next to nonexistent. Both branches of the attack had to happen at the same time, or they had no chance at all. Even if there had been some way to halt the countdown, she wouldn't have. There was no way to know how long the new stormtroopers would stay, and the attack couldn't be halted indefinitely. Before she'd left, Tiros had given her a lecture on moral of troops. Everyone would be running on an adrenaline high now, and if she tried to stop the attack, they might never work themselves up to it again. "The attack proceeds as planned," she said, glancing around to make sure they weren't overheard. "Any last-minute problems?" She really didn't want to know about any problems, but someone had to keep track of all this stuff, and she was the logical choice.  
  
"Nothing worth mentioning, mam," the woman said, surprising Lotah. This woman was more forward than many yellows and oranges. "A few minor confusions about where they were to go, but they have been dealt with." Lotah frowned, now that she knew about it, she wanted to know who didn't know where they were supposed to be. They'd drilled it over and over and over again... The woman ducked her head and glanced around. "I have to go back. The offworlder who calls me his slave will wonder where I've gone." She said this so angrily that Lotah wondered who, exactly, her master was and what he had done to her. She watched as the woman ran off.  
  
Has it been so long since you were a slave? Don't you remember? Slavery is bad enough on it's own. But it wasn't as simple as that. Lotah had been a slave all while she was growing up, but hadn't felt like a slave - more like a niece of her master. And even in true slavery... Lotah thought about the hate in the woman's eyes. Even as she fled, her back still bleeding from that last beating, Lotah hadn't hated her master - the Imp - that much. True, most of that had been because of the fear, but still, she didn't hate the Imp, not the way this woman did. If she saw her again, she might try to kill her, if for no other reason than to end the hunt, but she didn't think she'd enjoy it, not the way the woman would.  
  
Lotah shivered again. Melana hadn't had much time, but she'd told Lotah a little of what she knew of the Force. And about the Dark Side of the Force. Revenge would bring her there, bring her to where the man wanted her. So she couldn't just go around killing people indiscriminately. Lotah remembered she'd almost laughed when Melana said that. It might be a big effort for the Cat woman, but Lotah had never killed anyone, not even in self-defense. She wondered what she would do if she saw the man or woman, again, now that she knew more about the Force.  
  
A shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with her discomfort with the idea of killing. Instantly she was on alert, but instead of reaching out, she instinctively pulled herself inward, so that she sensed nothing through the Force. Even without reaching for the Force, she could feel as someone's Force sense drifted over, searching for her. This was the first time the man had actively used his Force sense to look for her. He was clumsy, though, and wouldn't be able to sense her unless she let him. She hadn't let him know where she was for a few hours. He must be going crazy with frustration. Despite herself, Lotah smiled.   
  
Pulling her hood carefully over her face, Lotah headed out into the street. And walked directly into a squad of stormtroopers.   
  
She actually bumped into the lead one, who cursed at her in three different languages and threw her to the ground with a swipe of his arm. The following troopers delivered a series of kicks to her sides and legs, which she took silently. The truth was that she was so relieved that they hadn't recognized her as the one they were searching for that she would have remained silent through just about anything. Stupid, stupid, careless! She reprimanded herself. Idiot! You deserve what you get if you don't watch yourself! Lotah got to her feet, wincing at sore spots all over her body, especially where the hidden knives had jabbed into her flesh. One of the small cuts was bleeding freely - she'd have to bind it tonight, and she would be the most interesting colors in the morning. Serves me right.  
  
Lotah ducked her head down and started off down the street. As she walked, she noticed the stares of several of the natives working on the street. They all knew her on sight, and she could tell from the looks on their faces that a number of them had been ready to attack the stormtroopers to help her. She had been right - there was no way she could put off the attack now. She glared at a few of them, and they got the point, turning back to their work. The attack was to be risked for nothing.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Tian tried to calm himself as he walked to the cockpit. Stars! He'd never been this nervous before a flight before. When his father had suggested that he go to the 'fresher and relieve himself, just minutes before the flight, he'd almost had a heart attack, until he realized that his father's words made sense. There was no reason to add any more things to the long list of items that might distract him. Once he had finished his business in the 'fresher and closed the door, he mentally crossed off one thing that might distract him during this all-important flight. One out of about a million.  
  
"Tian?" a quiet voice intruded on his thoughts. He stopped and stepped into the main bunk. Cahi's image was on the main screen.   
  
"Yes?" Tian asked, flicking an impatient look at the chronometer on the wall. The attack was scheduled to begin in mere minutes, and in that time they had to be in the air. His father would be taking care of all of the warm-ups necessary to get the ship in the air, but still, Tian wanted to be there.  
  
"I'm scared."  
  
Her simple response shook him, since that simple statement was what he had been trying to avoid saying for weeks now. He tried not to show his fear, tried to be comforting. "Everything's going to be all right."  
  
"Am I going to die?"   
  
An odd question from an inanimate computer, but looking at the image she projected to represent herself, he wasn't able to dismiss it. "I don't think so. I'm going to do my best to keep us all alive."  
  
"Please," Cahi said in a whisper. "I don't want to die."  
  
"Don't worry," Tian said, wondering if he looked ridiculous. "I'll protect you." Meaning the ship, but it didn't really matter. He turned to head to the cockpit. Cahi's image watched him as he left, then faded into blackness.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Melana, Lorb, and a group of about fifty natives, including Dowla, Jen, and (against the wishes of both Lotah and Jen) Sam, slowly crept towards the port, hiding in the tall grass. Grimly Melana reflected on the fact that her tawny hair, which served as a such a great camouflage back home, stood out so badly in the strange foliage of this planet. She glanced behind her. These were the last of those trained to fight, supposed to be held as reserves to protect the villages, but called out when word was sent that the number of stormtroopers in the port had increased drastically. Now every fighter might be needed.  
  
The thought of fighting almost brought on the Huntlust, but Melana firmly pushed away the blurring in front of her eyes, concentrating on the Force. She was training to be a Jedi, and was not ruled by any sort of emotions. She had to stay in control for the fight ahead.  
  
Silently they crept forward.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Lotah was present when the fight between two of the natives, the signal to begin the attack, took place. It was in the center of the main square, where the slaves were usually gathered anyway. The two natives chosen for the signal were, oddly enough, blues. They'd been chosen precisely because they had no fighting skills, and whoever gave the signal would probably be arrested right away. They couldn't afford to have two fighters sitting in prison during the attack, so some who couldn't fight (or at least weren't supposed to - these were two of Dowla's followers) had been chosen. So it happened that a position of honor, that of signaling the entire attack, fell upon a couple of lowly blues.   
  
They did a fairly good job of pretending to be engaged in a furious fistfight, considering the fact that no good blue would ever consider attacking another blue for anything short of a deadly insult to their master. Blues just didn't fight about such things - only the whites and yellows had the freedom and time to waste on petty squabbles. Lotah had often wondered about that, and what it said about freedom.  
  
All of the merchants and a few off-duty stormtroopers formed a loose circle around the combatants, and immediately a half-dozen bets were placed, on everything from the winner of the fight to how long it would take the authorities to get there.  
  
And almost all of the surrounding slaves got to their feet and ran, shouting 'fight!' in their language. To any observer, they would look like a bunch of panicked slaves, running away from the trouble to avoid being arrested with those who were fighting. But as they ran through the streets, slaves throughout the city left off doing their assigned tasks to pick up knives, vibro-blades, and blasters to answer the call to fight.   
  
Even as Lotah hid in the shadows, waiting for the stormtroopers to arrive, deaths were occurring all over the city. A lone, off-duty stormtrooper stared in shock as blood spurted from a slash across his neck. The yellow standing in front of him waited just long enough to see that he died, then went in search of others. The kitchens were deserted, for the id had been mixed in with the morning meal. The poison would start to affect the stormtroopers in the next hour. Several yellows and oranges walked into a bar frequented by mostly stormtroopers, heads down. No one noticed them until they drew blasters that had been concealed behind legs and backs and started raking fire back and forth across the bar. Somewhere in the city someone managed to sound an alarm, mere minutes after the signal had been given. In an extravagant house on the outskirts of the town, a local Imperial officer's massage was interrupted by the faint sound of alarms going off, far away in the town. A few seconds later the blue that Lotah had spoken to earlier raised a metal-alloy serving tray and brought it down hard on the back of his skull. She quickly pulled her clothes back on and relieved him of his blaster. Switching it from stun to its highest power setting, she finished what she had started.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Melana and those with her ran towards the armed building that held the turbo-blasters. The building had to be taken or, failing that, destroyed, if Tian and Tiros were to have any chance of making it to the cruiser. As they entered the city, Melana saw bodies littering the street, and very few of them were natives. They headed for the building, and there was the whine of blasters being fired coming from within. Melana almost tripped over the body of a stormtrooper sprawled in the doorway. There were more inside, along with the bodies of three natives, two oranges and a green.   
  
They'd only penetrated a little farther into the building when they found the source of the blasterfire. A badly outnumbered native force was trying to break through a line of entrenched stormtroopers. Bodies lay everywhere, with both sides evenly represented. The native in charge, an orange, was just about to order another assault on the stormtroopers. It would be a slaughter. Melana grabbed him and pulled him back from the edge of the fighting, dodging blaster bolts. "What's happening?" she asked.  
  
He started to drop to his knees when he saw her, but she wouldn't let him. "What's happening?" she repeated, a little louder.   
  
"A man... alarm... then die," the native said in halting Basic. "We got here... then fight." He tried to sink into the floor, an understandable response, since some of the more mean-tempered whites were known to beat the bearer of bad news. Another disgusting habit they should be rid of, Melana thought, then brought her attention back to the present.   
  
"Good," Melana looked around, and saw Lorb exchanging shots with a couple stormtroopers. "Lorb!" she shouted, and he came over. "You know the layout of the town the best. What do you know about this building?" He shot her a frustrated glance, indicating that she would have to reduce the amount of information she requested. "Is there any way we could get into a flanking position?"  
  
She saw him close his eyes for a fraction of a second, and then his eyelids fluttered. "There's a way. I once worked in one of these buildings as a cleaner, on another planet, and they all have the same layout. If we crawl through some of the air-ducts in that room..." he indicated the room they had just come through, "we ought to be able to get behind them. The ducts are usually guarded by sensors, but we ought to be able to deactivate them from there."  
  
With a jerk of her head Melana indicated that he should go. She picked ten natives at random to stay and reinforce those already fighting here. Telling the orange not to make any more charges, she took the rest of her group to the back room.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Tian's hands were suddenly still, not shaking as they had been all morning. He breathed a silent sigh of relief, but tried not to show how relieved he was. "Preflight checks completed," his father said, glancing at him. Then his eyes slid down to Tian's hands, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. So much for that.  
  
Tian quickly finished warming up the engines, then raised the ship into the air, above the trees. The concealing branches fell away as the ship started out across the grasslands. The plan was to travel most of the distance to the port near the ground, then swing up to the cruiser. The hope was that by staying near the planet, they would avoid detection for a little longer. Unfortunately, the plan also would bring them into the range of the ground-based defenses, but the natives were supposed to take those out first. One thing Tian had learned from his father was never to trust what was 'supposed' to happen. If for some reason they hadn't been able to take out the defenses, it could get very sticky very fast. They'd have to run to the sky immediately, to a waiting cruiser.  
  
As they flew, Tian kept one eye on the com system. If the natives succeeded in destroying or taking the defenses, they were supposed to call, assuming that the communication systems in the bunker still worked. If they didn't call... well, they were just supposed to assume everything went right, and keep their eyes open. It wasn't as if they'd have a lot of options.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Melana crawled forward through the ductwork as fast as she could. Lorb's initial attempts to disable the lasers guarding the vents had failed, until he put a blasterbolt into the system that controlled the lasers. There'd been a flash of light from the vent, then nothing. Unfortunately the blast had also fried the communications systems, so they wouldn't be able to call Tian from here, but Melana thought that he'd prefer that they knock out the turbolasers and not be able to call him than the other way around.  
  
She lay an ear against the 'floor', and heard the sounds of the blaster fight. Another twenty meters, and they were louder. The duct continued along for another ten... twenty... fifty meters. How long could the tunnel be? Lorb had said that the first vent she came to would be the one she wanted, but if she didn't find it soon, the battle would be over before they could get there. Then she saw it, a shadow on the ceiling where the light from the corridor below shown through the grating. Melana took a spare circuit from her pocket and threw it carefully across the vent, in case for some reason the lasers at this end had not been deactivated. The chip flew over the opening with no visible response. Even more quickly now, she crawled forward and pulled the vent up out of the opening, carefully sliding it a little further down the duct. She eased her head down out of the vent, then quickly pulled it back up. The stormtroopers were less than fifty meters away, down a straight corridor, with no cover between her and them. Melana glanced at Lorb and raised her blaster. Lorb nodded, raised his own where those behind him could see it, then gathered himself to jump through the hole.  
  
Melana jumped first, and before she had even landed, she had started firing. The stormtroopers, gathered in groups behind various objects they had piled up as a barricade, were easy prey. They had no where to run, no where to take cover. Fully half of them fell before they even realized what was happening, and as Lorb joined her on the ground, they finished off the remaining troopers. Only five shots had been fired against them, and none even came close to their targets.   
  
A cheer broke out among the natives at the other end of the hall, but those who had followed Melana through the ducts were already coming out, running for the turbolaser controls. The majority of the stormtroopers assigned to the defense of the building had been here, but there were others whose job it was to stop the invaders.   
  
They ran quickly and caught two stormtroopers completely by surprise. The stormtroopers had actually been sitting at a table, talking about whether or not this was a drill when Melana and the others came barging into the room. Two quick shots silenced them. They encountered slight resistance in the room right in front of the turbolasers, but they badly outnumbered these last defenders, and they, too, fell in a few moments. Then they were in the turbolaser room. Dowla raced up to one of the men manning the lasers and threw him to the ground. One of the other natives shot him. A green pulled another man out of the second control seat and quickly killed him.  
  
Melana stopped for a second and looked around. They'd reached their objective, and had in their possession the only ground-based weapons that could stop Tian and Tiros. "Search this building," Melana ordered. "If you find anyone, don't kill them. Prisoners might be useful." As several natives rushed off to do her bidding, Melana admitted to herself that some part of her was disgusted by all of the killing. She wondered if she should have tried to stun, rather than kill, some of the men on their way. It was too late to do anything about it now. A few minutes later the natives she had sent returned with eight prisoners, all off-duty officers. Melana told them to lock the Imperials in one of the empty rooms, then threaded her way back to the front offices. All along the path natives were tending to their wounded comrades and their dead, but along the way Melana heard groans coming from injured stormtroopers, as well. No one was tending to them.  
  
For a brief instant, Melana was tempted to leave them where they were - they'd been trying to kill her and her allies. But then her Jedi training took over, and she sighed. Their deaths had no meaning now, and were thereby useless. "Jen..." she motioned Lotah's brother forward. He seemed to be a decent young man, worthy of being Lotah's brother. Strangely enough, she hadn't felt a hint of Force-potential in any of Lotah's family.   
  
"Yes, Melana?" Lotah's family were among the few natives who were willing to call the offworlders by their names, instead of 'sir' or 'mam'.   
  
"Take a few people and gather up all the wounded stormtroopers. Whichever can be moved, stick them in with the prisoners, and give them a first aid kit. If they can't be moved, treat them and set someone to stand guard."  
  
A flash of hesitancy crossed his face. "Heal them?" he asked in passable Basic.  
  
Melana nodded. "Those that can be saved. We're not animals."  
  
He nodded and motioned for his younger brother, Sam, to help him. They immediately knelt by the first injured stormtrooper, removed his weaponry and helmet, and looked at his injury. A good portion of the young man's right leg was burned away. Melana looked more closely at his face - this man - if he could be called that - looked as if he was only seventeen or eighteen years old, by regular human standards. We're not animals, but other races call us 'Cats'. That's a type of animal. Melana put that thought aside as she stepped into the first room.  
  
Lorb looked up from the console he had blasted and shook his head. There was a smear of blood across his bald head, and Melana wondered who it belonged to. "I might be able to fix it, but it'll take hours, if we're lucky, and I'll never get it done in time to signal Tian."  
  
Melana uttered a savage curse. "We'd better try to get to the hangers and steal some ships. We might be able to contact Cahi from there, if we hurry." She looked around the partially ruined building. "How many people will it take to hold this?"  
  
"All we brought, considering the casualties."  
  
"All right. Dowla?" he was always nearby, and simply stepped forward. "Keep the Imps from taking this building back. We're going for the ships." She paused, looking at the ruined console. I really should leave someone to fix that. But she and Lorb were the only ones with enough technical knowledge to even begin to understand how it worked, and she wasn't sure about herself. And they were both needed to fly up with Tian. If I can even get a ship off the ground.  
  
Then Dowla nodded at a few natives, who took out a box of tools and began taking off the cover. Melana stared for a few seconds, then asked, "Where'd you learn to service equipment?"  
  
"We were on the cruiser for years," one native said without turning. He was a red, but he'd obviously lost the servile nature most reds had. But then, this group was mostly made up of Dowla's people. "They have very few people, and we have been doing maintenance for a long time. We've learned other things, too."  
  
"Melana!" Lorb called. He was already several hundred feet down the street. Melana could catch up with him in a matter of seconds, but his point was well taken - they had no time to spare. Melana followed him. 


	17. XVII

Lotah walked around the port in a sort of haze. Intellectually, she had known what this day would be like - she had been present in every stage of the planning, had assigned people to key roles. But she hadn't truly realized what it would be like until now. Despite the violence that she was capable of, the crimes she had committed in her past, she was essentially a peaceful person. Had her master not died, had his wishes not been disregarded, she probably would have found a spot working a legitimate job in the lanes. The fact that fate - or the Force - had not let her alone had nothing to do with who she was, and death frightened and disgusted her on a level even she wouldn't admit, not even now.  
  
Some of the bodies lying on the ground were native, but most were stormtroopers, and occasionally she came across and independent trader. A few of the stormtroopers didn't have a mark on them - they must have eaten in the kitchens this morning. Lotah stopped by one of the bodies and took the blaster from the dead trooper's hands. She carefully switched the level of the weapon to 'stun', and turned off the safety. She could have done this earlier, back in the alley with Tian and Lorb, and spared herself the incident with Lorb, but she hadn't thought of it at the time.   
  
She checked each body she passed, but someone had been through here already. There were no wounded, just dead. All of the injuries on the natives looked fatal, but several injured stormtroopers had had their throats cut. Lotah shuddered. Surely during the planning she could have, should have said something about sparing those who could no longer fight. But it had seemed like the odds were so far against them that they had to do anything to win.   
  
Somewhere nearby, a child was crying. Lotah quickly picked up her pace, trying to seek out that child. Rounding a corner, she almost ran into an independent trader. He had a young girl, a red, by the arm and was pulling her down the street, oblivious to her tears. The girl couldn't be more than eight or nine years old. Lotah's lip tightened, and she concealed the blaster behind her back. The trader stopped short when he saw her, his eyes widening, first in alarm, then in pleasure as he saw what appeared to be a helpless, obedient, pretty slave girl. "You!" he pointed to her. "Come with me!" He took one step past her and Lotah jammed the blaster against the side of his neck.  
  
"Let her go," she said through gritted teeth. She'd never used a blaster before, but this close to him, even without the Force, she wouldn't miss.   
  
"What is this?!"  
  
"I said to let her go."  
  
In his astonishment, he actually let go of the girl, who stumbled into Lotah, still crying. Lotah pushed the girl behind her and backed up a few steps. "Now I suggest that you get in your ship and leave. Immediately."  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, turning around. Lotah reached for the Force and quietly slipped his blaster out of its holster. It fell to the ground with a loud thud. Startled, the man looked down.  
  
"Don't touch it!" Lotah said quickly as he bent to pick it up.  
  
"All right," he raised his hands, then leered at her. "Pretty thing, what do you think you're doing with that toy? You know it won't really fire." He obviously thought she was as simpleminded as the village leaders thought her to be.  
  
"I'm taking this girl back to her family," Lotah said calmly.  
  
"You can't do that. I paid good money for her, and I've already promised her to one of my customers."  
  
"That's too bad. Now leave."  
  
"Now see here, slave..." Lotah shot him with the blaster. The blue bolt caught him directly in the center of the chest and he dropped to the ground instantly. Enough was enough. Lotah turned to look at the child. "Are you all right?" she asked in her native tongue.   
  
The girl nodded, eyes wide. "You're the one..."  
  
Lotah nodded. "Yeah, that's me. What village are you from?"  
  
"I'm from Lisl's village. The offworlders came for me a few weeks ago. I... I'm supposed to go with them. For the good of the village." The girl was obviously trying to be brave, but she was close to tears. Lotah's lips tightened again. Although the girl was considerably older than she had been, the situation was almost identical. Thirteen years ago, this child had been her.   
  
"It's all right," Lotah said, doing her best to be comforting. From the look of fear on the girl's face, she wasn't doing a very good job. "You don't have to go with the off-worlders, if you don't want to."  
  
"I don't?"   
  
"No. You can go back to your home, if you want."  
  
"I can go see my mommy and daddy?"  
  
"Sure, in a few days." Lotah felt a pang. If she'd had a choice, when she was taken away, she probably would have gone back to her parents as well. And if that had happened, she wouldn't have learned enough, or had enough confidence in herself to arrange this rebellion. And this girl wouldn't have the choice of going home. "What's your name?"  
  
"Rialle."  
  
"All right, Rialle. You stay close to me, and we'll find somewhere safe for you to stay until we can get you home."  
  
"By myself?" Rialle asked, eyes wide and frightened. That's right, Lotah remembered. She's just a kid, and a red, too. She thinks she can't survive on her own. Lotah wasn't used to dealing with children. She held out a hand.  
  
"No, of course not. We'll find someone to stay with you."  
  
Rialle obediently took her hand and, stepping over the foot of the unconscious trader, followed Lotah down the street.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Melana and Lorb blew open the lock on the door to the main hanger, and charged inside. The place appeared to be deserted, which was not surprising. What was surprising was the small number of ships inside. The attack had been signaled less than an hour ago. She glanced at Lorb, who was looking around, nodding slowly. "Word travels fast," he said, quickly checking the offices to make sure no one was hiding there. "Traders who would carry slaves are not the sort to risk their lives for anyone else. As soon as the trouble started, they all ran here and took off." He shook his head. "Not that any of them are going anywhere, not with that cruiser up there." He finished checking all of the rooms attached to the main hanger, and headed for the nearest ship. Melana followed him.  
  
He stared at the door to the cockpit for a few moments, then shook his head and turned to the next ship. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Most traders - well, smugglers - have got really advanced security on their ships. That one there, if anyone tries to open the door without the proper codes, an electric shock goes through the cable. Might kill you, although most people only set it to stun." He examined the next ship, shook his head again, and headed for the third. Melana was beginning to get nervous - there were only six ships left altogether - if they couldn't use any of these, then Tian and Tiros would be on their own. "I might be able to break the locks, or find the codes, but it might take days." He checked the fourth ship.   
  
Melana waited while he checked all of the ships, knowing what the result would be. When he stepped away from the last ship, she didn't waste any time. "We can't get up there. All right, can you at least call Tian and let him know the way's clear from down here?"   
  
Lorb nodded. "There's a decent comm unit in that room." He jerked his head towards the far wall.  
  
"Good. You try to call him, then wait here in case one of those last traders shows up. If you can, get a ship. If not, just make sure that no one tries to use their ship guns on our people. I'm going to see if anyone else needs help."  
  
------------------------------  
  
Tian forced himself to remain calm. They were less than a minute away from the port, and still no word from Melana, or anyone. They haven't got the turbolasers. I'm going to have to deal with fire coming from both directions. It would have been hard to avoid the shots of the cruiser as he left the atmosphere - to dodge fire coming from above and below was just about impossible. Tian made a silent promise to stay alive as long as he could. Just because they hadn't managed to take out the lasers didn't mean that either Melana or Lorb hadn't managed to get to another ship. If the cruiser and the ground crews both had their attention on Tian, then that improved the odds of one of the others getting through. That thought was a little comforting.  
  
"We've entered their sensor range," Tiros reported tensely. He had to be having the same thoughts as his son.   
  
Tian kept one eye on the sensors, the other ahead of him, waiting for bright streaks of light. There was nothing as the town rushed up on him. As he pulled up, angling for the cruiser kilometers overhead, there was still no fire. "Keep an eye behind us," Tian told his father, the situation temporarily removing the normal constraints in their relationship. "It may be some sort of trick." Tian kept his eye on the front sensors. Sooner or later, the cruiser had to notice one lone ship leaving the planet.   
  
"Cahi? Come in, Cahi!" came a voice over the com.  
  
"That's Lorb!" Cahi cried from somewhere in the ship.   
  
"Shut-up!" Tian shouted. He didn't need any more distractions right now.   
  
Tiros spoke into the com. "Lorb? What's the situation down there?"  
  
"We've taken the bunker with the turboblasters." Tian let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Now he only had the cruiser to deal with. Ha, that's a joke. But Lorb continued, "We haven't been able to get a hold of any other ships yet. We'll keep trying, but for now you're on your own."   
  
Tian's mouth felt dry. On our own. Only us. It's all up to us.  
  
Tiros sat back in the co-pilot's seat, then took a closer look at his son. "Tian? Are you all right?"  
  
His voice snapped Tian out of his partial paralysis. "Oh, yeah." He had to do this - if he didn't, all the natives would die... along with Melana, Lorb.... Lotah... "I'm fine."   
  
Several blips appeared on their sensors. Tian muttered a curse. He and Tiros had hoped that they'd get a little farther before the cruiser noticed them. "TIEs?" Tian asked, looking out the viewport. He didn't see anything yet, but those little ships were fast.   
  
"Sensor profile doesn't match a TIE," Tiros muttered, looking slightly confused. Another half-dozen blips appeared on the sensor. "Not those either."  
  
"So who are they?" Tian asked, getting a little more upset. They thought they'd planned every part of this mission - so who were these people?  
  
Suddenly two dozen smaller blips appeared on the screen, coming from the cruiser. "Those are TIEs," Tiros said, putting his hands on the weapons controls.  
  
The unidentified blips suddenly split, running in all directions away from the TIEs. One of them ran almost directly towards Cahi, and Tian got a good look at it as it flew past. It was a heavily modified SoroSub. Tiros grinned. "It's the traders!"  
  
"What?" None of the TIEs had noticed them yet, and the cruiser was drawing closer.  
  
"The traders from the port are running! They're providing a screen for us!" Tiros was delighted with this turn of events, where some of the people they were trying to stop helped them without meaning to.   
  
It probably helped, but there were still three or four times as many TIEs as traders. Two TIEs turned and headed straight for Cahi.   
  
------------------------------------  
  
Lotah grew more anxious for no reason that she could think of as she roamed the streets with Rialle. The rebellion on the planet seemed to be going well - there were several areas throughout the port where the stormtroopers had formed pockets of resistance, but they were collapsing, one by one. Lotah tried to close her eyes, to not see the bodies of natives that also littered the streets. All of these people, their blood was on her hands. How many of them had planned with her for this day? How many of them had she known? It was possible she'd never know, for some of the bodies were mutilated so much that they might never be identified.  
  
Lotah felt a surge of emotion somewhere nearby. Breaking into a half-run, she actually picked up Rialle, who couldn't keep up. She skittered to a halt as she saw several stormtroopers entering a house about fifty feet away. "Rialle," she set the girl down, "I want you to wait here." She pushed her into the doorway of an abandoned bar. If a stormtrooper... if an offworlder comes nearby, hide. I'll try to come back in a few minutes. If I don't come back, wait until night, and then go out. Try to find some natives - they'll take you home. Do you understand?"  
  
"You're leaving me here alone?" Rialle was close to panic.   
  
"Rialle! Listen!" Lotah shook the girl gently. She really didn't know how to handle children, but she couldn't take the girl with her when she faced the stormtroopers. "Rialle, there are natives in that building. Our people. I have to go help them, or the off-worlders will kill them. But I don't want you to get hurt, so you have to wait here."  
  
"But..." A scream cut through the air, coming from the other building. Rialle swallowed. "I'll wait here."  
  
"Good girl." Lotah squeezed Rialle's shoulder, then pushed her back behind a chair. "Now be quiet, and you'll be fine." Rialle crouched behind the chair and placed her hands over her mouth, indicating she wouldn't make a sound.  
  
Lotah cast one last look at the girl, then she hurried out the door. She immediately flattened herself against the building, trying to get as close to the invading stormtroopers as she could without letting them see her. When she got as close as she dared, she closed her eyes and reached out through the Force. There were only six stormtroopers, and about twice that number in natives, but most of the natives were unarmed. Lotah didn't know how that had happened, but her friends and allies were in danger, and she wasn't going to let them die. No more deaths. Not if I can help it. She checked the charge on her blaster, then picked up a rock and threw it against the wall of a building on the opposite side of the street.   
  
Two of the stormtroopers heard the noise and turned to look. They saw nothing, but came out into the open to look for the source of the noise. Lotah raised her stolen blaster and opened herself to the Force. At this distance, she couldn't be sure of hitting them without the Force, and she couldn't afford to miss. She readied herself for the backlash and pulled the trigger. Her shot caught the first stormtrooper in the stomach, between the leg and chest plates of his armor, where it provided little protection. He doubled over and collapsed. Lotah felt a strong tingle run across her stomach, but nothing more. Her second shot caught the other stormtrooper as he spun around. It hit the chestplate of his armor, knocking him off his feet but not unconscious. Lotah pulled the trigger a third time, and his body twitched then lay still.  
  
"Hey!" one of the stormtroopers inside the building noticed her and came running out, blaster held ready. One of the three remaining followed him.  
  
Lotah was having a hard time believing that even stormtroopers would be that stupid, running out to confront an unknown enemy in a protected position. She raised the stolen blaster and fired again. She forgot to use the Force, and her first shot missed by several feet, burning a hole a dark splotch on the wall of a hotel. Lotah muttered a few Hutt curses, then shut her mouth and took a deep breath, reaching for calm. She opened herself to the Force, and shot the first stormtrooper. But by then the second stormtrooper had oriented on her position - these stormtroopers might be stupid, but they weren't blind.   
  
He fired at her, and Lotah threw up her arms to protect herself as the wall next to her exploded. Bits and pieces of duracrete hit her arms and face, cutting her several times, but she ignored the pain. There'd be more if she didn't end this threat. She reacted through the Force, raising her weapon and firing through clouds of dust with her eyes partially closed. She felt more than heard the grunt as she hit him. She ducked back into the doorway of the bar as the dust settled.  
  
Her right arm was on fire. Lotah swallowed, trying to push herself past the pain, then looked down at the injury. It was bad, although she'd had worse and survived. But she hadn't been in the middle of a war zone then. One of the larger chunks of duracrete had opened a large gash across the top of her arm, and it was bleeding. A lot. Lotah thought she saw bone, but couldn't be sure, under all the blood. She had other injuries as well, a small cut on her temple, as well as numerous bruises all over her front, where her arms hadn't protected her. Those could wait, but the arm... Lotah gritted her teeth and tore the edge off of her already short tunic. Then she tried to tie it around her arm, a difficult enough task even without the pain distracting her. After three unsuccessful tries, she was nearly ready to give up and continue without the bandage. You just couldn't tie something with only one hand, and every time she tried to use her powers to hold something still, another wave of pain came.   
  
She needed the bandage, but didn't have the time. Still wide open to the Force, she could feel one of the stormtroopers looking cautiously outside the building while his remaining companion watched their prisoners. Great, now I find the intelligent ones. There was little chance that she could catch these out in the open the way she had the others.   
  
Suddenly there was pressure on her arm, and Lotah clamped her lips together to keep from screaming. When she had enough control not to cry out, Lotah looked down. Rialle was standing next to her, her lower lip stuck out in concentration as she worked, silently tying the bandage around Lotah's arm. Then she pulled out a second bandage and wrapped that over the first bandage. A quick look at the child's tunic told Lotah where the second bandage came from.   
  
Only when she finished tying the second bandage did the girl look up. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she dropped to her knees as soon as she was done. "Please, lady..." she whispered, still mindful of the offworlders outside. "I know you told me to stay, and I'm sorry I disobeyed, but I saw..."  
  
Lotah pulled the girl to her feet, silently vowing that Rialle would not grow up as a slave of any white or yellow. She'd find some way...  
  
"It's all right," she whispered. "It's fine. Thank you. Now go back there." Rialle stared at her, then actually flashed an uncertain smile before she went back to her hiding place.   
  
Lotah flexed her arm cautiously. It still hurt a lot, but Rialle had done a good job, and it wasn't bleeding anymore. She still had a little bit of mobility, but she couldn't lift her arm enough to fire the blaster. She transferred the grip to her left hand and opened herself to the Force again, refusing to think of failure. She couldn't fail, so she wouldn't. Or so she hoped.  
  
Closing her eyes, she could feel the stormtrooper. He was around the corner, out of sight, but she could still 'see' what he was doing. He had emerged, slowly and carefully, from the building and was now creeping along the wall towards her, although he couldn't see her around the corner. That was to her advantage. She took a few quick steps to the corner, then stuck her left arm around it and fired three quick shots. Her senses told her that she had hit him at least once, and that he wouldn't be a problem for some time. That left one stormtrooper in the building with her people. She reached out and found him.   
  
He was understandably nervous, and quite ready to kill all of the natives in order to discharge his orders to guard them. Once they were dead, they couldn't escape, and he could run. All of this she picked up in the first moment of contact, then she pulled back, somewhat sickened. He must have some talent for the Force, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see so much - she never had before. Feeling somewhat sickened by his entire attitude, she forced herself to breathe deeply. She had to find someway of getting him away from his prisoners so that she could shoot him without having him shoot anyone else.   
  
Finally she thought of something, and risked running around the corner to grab the closest stormtroopers helmet. She paused for a fraction of a second when she saw how young he was, only a few years older than herself, then remembered where she was and ran back. A quick check on his mind told her that he hadn't noticed her action. From his angle, the body was almost invisible, so that was understandable. She checked the com in the helmet, saw that it was on, and picked up a handful of gravel. She threw it into the helmet, rubbing the little stone fragments against the hard surface of the helmet. As she had hoped, it sounded a whole lot like static, the interference you get when someone's jamming communications. Very clearly she heard a voice over the com, "Commander, is that you?"   
  
Lotah kept rubbing the gravel on the helmet, but she closed her eyes and reached out. She'd never tried this before, but Melana had told her it could be done, and she had to at least try. If it didn't work she'd be no worse off than before. She found the soldier's mind easily among those in the building - his was the only filled with fear of the unknown, rather than the obvious. "Maybe the commander needs your help," she whispered, and somehow her words were carried across space and into the man's mind. He shot a quick look at the captives - they were trapped here, and he could shoot any that tried to run out the door. Not realizing how little part he had had in making his decision, he marched straight out the door, expecting to see his commander standing in front of the door, with some sort of terrible injury.   
  
Instead, Lotah shot him.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Lotah paused only long enough to relieve the six stormtroopers of their weapons - who knew how long it would be until they woke up? Then she raced into the building. There were around thirty natives in there, and as far as she could tell, all but two were injured, although some not too badly. "Mam..." one of the two healthy said, dropping to his knees. He held a kitchen knife in one hand, now laying flat on the ground. Lotah didn't have time for this. Without bothering to try to preserve some sort of formality, she yanked the orange to his feet. The other healthy was a female green, although the awkward way she held another kitchen knife indicated that she had little combat training.   
  
"What's going on here?"  
  
"We... we were in the kitchen..." that explained the lack of skill with weapons, "... and when the fighting started, we got these," he waved the weapon uncertainly. "But whenever we heard fighting, it was over by the time we got there. Then we found the wounded, so we brought them in here. The offworlders..." his hand tightened on the knife, and Lotah noticed a red stain on the blade. Fighting off nausea as she remembered the injured stormtroopers, Lotah nodded tightly. "We were trying to treat the wounded when the offworlders came in... And you..." although he had recognized her, it was obvious he had never seen her fight, and was experiencing the normal shock that the higher classes felt when they saw their prejudices come crashing down around them. Lotah didn't have time for that, either.   
  
"You can't stay here. I don't know how many stormtroopers - offworlders are left, and they might find you at any time. You'll just get trapped in here again." She glanced around, trying to take a quick stock of the injuries. "Can you move?"  
  
The orange's eyes traveled around the room. "Maybe, if some help to carry others..."   
  
Lotah nodded. "Move everyone who can either walk or be carried out to the plains. If you can reach the woods, do it. If not, just try to stay out of the way of the offworlders." According to the plan, some of the higher ranked women who were not trained to fight, along with all their slaves, would be waiting at the edge of the woods to try to help those wounded who could make it that far.  
  
"Mam, some of those who were wounded have no bandages..." Lotah looked around and realized that many of those here were still bleeding freely from various wounds. Those wounds should not be fatal, but the blood loss could be if not dealt with.   
  
"Bandage them first, then move. I'll wait here until you're off." Lotah shifted her attention to two greens with burns on the right sides of their bodies, but who were otherwise unmarked. "You two, can you walk?" In response, they both got to their feet. "Good. Help me drag the stormtroopers inside."   
  
Her comment caught the attention of the orange. "I'll take care of them, mam," he said, rising from the man he was tending to. His knife was in his hand.  
  
No more blood on my hands. Lotah shook her head. "No more killing unless it's necessary. If we lock them in one of the back rooms, we can hold them until after the fighting's over." She had no idea what they'd do with them afterwards, but they could deal with that later. As least she wouldn't have the deaths of a bunch of children - she thought of the young face of the stormtrooper - on her hands. "Come on."   
  
The two greens helped her drag the stormtroopers into one of the back rooms that had a good strong door on it. Then Lotah closed the door and blasted the locking mechanism. No one was getting out of there for a good long while. By then the others had finished tending to the wounded. Most of them would make it, Lotah decided, looking around. There was a yellow who had a very bad stomach wound, and a blue with massive internal injuries... immediate immersion in bacta might have saved them, but no such facilities existed on the planet. The few injuries that occurred here were dealt with back up on the cruiser. And the blue's injuries had been compounded by a kick to the chest by a stormtrooper. Lotah thought back to the scream she'd heard, earlier... Rialle! she suddenly remembered, and raced out the door.   
  
Rialle was still waiting in the bar, although she'd come out of her hiding place. "You killed all the offworlders!" she exclaimed.   
  
"I didn't kill them. I just stunned them," Lotah said automatically, then held out her left hand. Her right arm was beginning to throb again, and she didn't want to put any more pressure on it than was absolutely necessary. Rialle took her hand and trotted alongside her back to the other building. Everyone preparing to leave looked up in amazement as Lotah led a little red girl in. "Take her with you," Lotah instructed, feeling tired for no reason that she could think of. "Take care of her until this is over, then we can find out where her family is." She turned to Rialle. "You go with them, and help them out if you can." Lotah looked around, and finally saw a blue that she thought she recognized from Dowla's nightly sessions. He had numerous burns on his face - Lotah hadn't found out yet why so many of her people had regular burn marks, rather than blaster-burns, but that was another mystery that could be dealt with later. His entire face was covered in bandages, but Lotah had heard that he had managed to protect his eyes by throwing an arm in front of him. It was just the rest of his face that was a mangled mass. She had only recognized him because of one thing - he had a knife stuffed in his belt, something no normal blue would do after the immediate danger was over.  
  
Pulling Rialle along, she knelt next to him. Under the pretense of rearranging his bandages, she murmured. "Do you know who I am?"  
  
His reply came quickly, muffled as it was by the bandages. "I know you, Lotah. It's me, Erpit."  
  
Lotah's stomach lurched as she realized that she knew this man. Although not one of her closer friends, she had spoken to him on numerous occasions on discovering that he had a gift for understanding military tactics. He was still uncomfortable with the idea that blues could do anything that whites could do when she first met him, but she'd soon relieved him of that belief. He had really big hands, she remembered, and his eyes had little flecks of green in them - the original reason he'd learned anything about fighting in the first place. Lotah blinked about tears - he'd be all right, she told herself, reaching down to squeeze one of his large hands. "I remember you, Erpit. What happened?"  
  
He sighed. "We had the offworlders - stormtroopers," he corrected himself, "trapped in the one of the main power generator buildings. We almost took it, but they overloaded the generator, and the entire place blew. We lost many there. I was lucky." He said this with no trace of irony in his voice - he actually had been lucky to get away with so few injuries. Lotah's heart jumped into her throat when he spoke of the casualties - casualties she had ordered into battle. "I saw it coming, so I hung back. I told the whites that they should cut the lines that ran from the control station to the generator first, but Yrnet was trying to capture the building intact, to boost his honor. He's dead now." There was little regret in Erpit's voice.  
  
Lotah clenched her teeth at hearing about yet another waste of life because of the whites, and remembered why she had come over here. "Erpit, I rescued a girl from one of the traders. Her name is Rialle, and she's red. She's brave -she didn't make a sound to give me away during the fight, and she came out of hiding long enough to bind my arm. She's not from one of the villages Dowla's contacted, I think. I promised to return her to her parents, but I want you to make sure someone keeps an eye on her, and teaches her... things." Lotah lowered her voice on the last word, glancing around. There was little chance that anyone would be able to stop Dowla when he signaled the break-off, if Tian's mission succeeded, but there was no reason to risk letting others know before it was time.  
  
"I understand," Erpit said in a whisper. "What's wrong with your arm?" he asked a little louder. Lotah had forgotten how quick he was.   
  
"Just a little cut. Everyone's getting ready to move now." Lotah helped him to his feet. "Rialle," she said, putting Erpit's hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl had listened to the entire conversation without really understanding it, but there was a gleam in her eye that hadn't been there before. At least that's what it looked like to Lotah. "This is Erpit, and he's going to take care of you, and help you find your parents when this is over. But for now you're going to have to help Erpit walk. He can't see too good, so you guide him - make sure he doesn't run into anything, all right? Can you do that?"  
  
"I can do that," Rialle said with a smile, and Lotah smiled back. Already the girl had more confidence than when they'd met, just over an hour ago. Who knew what she could do with a little more guidance?  
  
"All right. Good luck. I'll try to find you after this is over." With another encouraging smile, Lotah approached the orange in charge. "Will you be able to move everyone?"  
  
He nodded, too preoccupied with the task of moving all of these wounded to worry about listening to some red. "There are a number whose injuries won't keep them from helping others, as long as they stay with the group." As Lotah looked around, she saw that he was right. There were a number like Erpit, whose injuries were mostly on their faces and arms. The fact that they were, for all intents and purposes, blind, made them practically helpless on their own, but they would be able to help carry those who were more severely injured. Unfortunately, that would hinder Lotah in completing her idea.  
  
As quickly as she could, Lotah distributed the weapons she'd found on the stormtroopers. There were ten of them, once you counted the holdout blasters that some stormtroopers carried. The first went to the two able-bodied, both of whom had obviously never held a blaster before. But it didn't take much skill to shoot someone who thought you were unarmed and trying to capture you, which was the only situation that they ought to get into. Lotah hoped. By the time she got to the eighth weapon, Lotah was running out of options. She gave the eight and ninth to a couple of greens with bad leg injuries who were fading in and out of consciousness. Hopefully they could stay awake when, and if, they were needed. Lotah looked around, the last weapon in her hand. The rest of the wounded were either blinded or completely unconscious, and both were useless for this purpose. Her gaze fell on Erpit and Rialle. Maybe...  
  
Silently hoping that she wasn't pushing fate too much, Lotah knelt next to Erpit again. The last weapon was a small (tiny, actually) holdout blaster. One of the stormtroopers had had it hidden in his leg plating - it was meant to either escape or suicide after captors thought they were helpless. Luckily Lotah had seen one of those before. This one was very well constructed, and had over thirty shots in it. But it was very small...  
  
"Rialle?"  
  
"Yes, Lotah?"  
  
The use of her name startled Lotah. Erpit must have been very busy talking to the girl in the brief time Lotah had spent distributing weapons. "Take this," Lotah said, thrusting the weapon at her, and silently apologizing to whatever gods existed for giving a weapon to a child.   
  
"A blaster for me?" Far from sounding terrified, Rialle sounded almost excited.  
  
"You only use it if you are captured by offworlders," Lotah said firmly. She'd already set all the weapons to stun, with strict instructions not to change the setting unless their lives depended on it. "You know how it works?"  
  
Rialle nodded. Small as it was, the blaster looked huge in her small hand.   
  
"Do you promise not to use it on anyone except for an off-worlder?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Erpit, will you..."  
  
"I'll take care of her," Erpit said. His voice betrayed doubt about the wisdom of her actions, but she already had her own doubts. But better for her to have the weapon if they needed it, than for it to be in the hand of a soldier who couldn't see.  
  
"Thanks." Then Lotah noticed the orange looking at her, a positively venomous expression on his face. "And Rialle, if anyone tries to take it from you, any of our people, you just point it at them and tell them to go away. Don't shoot anyone, but don't let them take it." As far as Lotah could tell, there was no reason that one of the two able-bodied would be any better with a blaster than Rialle, and Lotah felt better knowing that Erpit had a blaster on his side, if it came to that.  
  
"I won't." Lotah looked at the stubborn jut of Rialle's chin and hid a smile. This girl was more like her than she'd first realized.  
  
Lotah stayed with the group long enough to see them safely out of the port. Rialle led Erpit confidently, her head moving back and forth as she looked around for any threats. Lotah had made her put the blaster's safety on, but she still held the weapon tightly, as if afraid it would go off if she dropped it. Lotah had picked their path carefully, and as they ran into no problems. As soon as they were in the safety of the plains, she checked on Erpit once more, then headed back for the port, mindful that there might be others who needed her help.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Tian pulled at the controls and the ship went into a climb, perpendicular to his previous heading. The two TIE fighters struggled to follow, and succeeded, though one fell far behind. The closer one started firing his lasers every few seconds. The shields showed the impact, but didn't collapse. In the meantime, his actions were taking him farther from the cruiser than he liked. So Tian brought the ship around to the right, and as the first TIE followed him and the second turned, trying to cut him off, Tian put the ship into a spin. The laser shots stopped as the first TIE's computer couldn't get a lock on him. With the momentary reprieve, Tian took the still-spinning ship towards the second TIE in a somewhat wavy line, so that it looked like he was going in random directions, trying to loose the first TIE.  
  
Tian didn't waste any time telling his father what he was planning. They'd done this so many times before, although under different circumstances, that any speech was superfluous.  
  
The second TIE pilot didn't see it coming until it was too late. As soon as he was close enough to the TIE that the other pilot wouldn't have time to maneuver, Tian stopped the ship's spinning and headed in a direct line for the TIE. Tiros pulled the trigger, and lasers burst from the ship's minimal weaponry. It was enough. The TIE exploded brilliantly, and Tian flew threw the resulting pile of debris.  
  
Now, while the debris is screwing up his sensors! Tian only had a fraction of a second before the other TIE flew through what remained of his companion, and he put that time to good use. He immediately pulled the throttle back, stilling the engines. His momentum kept him going at a good rate, but compared to the TIE, he was not moving at all. The TIE shot past him, missing him completely in it's eagerness to find him and avenge the other TIE. Tian quickly pushed the throttle forward, jumping into position behind the TIE. There was no way that he could ever stay on the tail of a TIE fighter for any period of time - their speed and maneuverability was far better than any freighter, but he didn't need to stay behind the TIE for long. A few seconds passed before the other TIE realized what had happened, and Tiros used that time to get a firing solution. He fired, and the second TIE exploded in a bright fireball that hurt Tian's eyes.   
  
He relaxed marginally, part of his mind marveling at the stupidity that led to building a fighter with no shields. Then he blinked in surprise as he realized that his maneuvering had brought him even closer to the cruiser. Refusing to let his success against the TIE fighters excite him too much, he accelerated towards the ship. There were few other TIE's around - they seemed to be dying at an amazing rate against the modified smugglers ships - and the few that remained were too busy to pay him much attention. The cruiser drew closer.  
  
He was less than a minute away from firing range when turbolaser blasts started lighting up the space around him. He started jerking the ship back and forth, trying to remain alive long enough to launch the attack.   
  
------------------------------------  
  
Melana was still wandering - mostly aimlessly - through the city when she came across a number of natives milling around outside the door to the central headquarters of the Imperial forces on the planet. A number of them (actually most of them) were carrying weapons, but none was moving towards the door. Melana marched up to the first white she saw. "What's going on?" she demanded, and almost ripped his arm off when he shoved a blaster in her face.   
  
"You!" he cried in his own tongue, lowering the weapon as he recognized her. She fought the urge to rip his head off. She had walked through a crowd of people to reach him - did he really think that a stormtrooper would have gotten that far? Idiot. Then she looked again at the mess of people milling around in front of the building, getting nothing accomplished, and revised her assessment. Bunch of idiots.  
"What's going on?" she repeated. At least the whites didn't bother trying to bow to her.  
"I... I no know," he stammered. "They... they shot... I don't know," he repeated, as if ashamed.   
  
Melana sighed, and opened herself to the Force as she tried to find some patience. "All right. Now just tell me what happened, step-by-step."  
  
For a white, he responded very well to the tone of command in her voice. He had to be the younger son of a weaker family - he hadn't acquired that absolutely intolerable arrogance that she tended to associate with whites. He gestured, and an orange came over to translate. "There were some off-worlders shooting at us, from in there," he pointed at the doorway. There was no sign of the door itself, although some burn marks around the doorway suggested what had happened to it. "Then, all of a sudden, they stopped. We shot the door, and some of our people went inside. There was a flash of light, and then they were all dead. We can see the offworlders moving around inside of there, but anyone we send in is dead within five steps of the door."  
  
"Show me."  
  
The white raised his voice and immediately a path opened up in front of them. The only good thing about their society was the amount of discipline it instilled in its people. And that only did them any good if someone knew what to do with the discipline, Melana added to her first thought, looking at the confusion around her. They got to the door very quickly, though, and Melana cautiously looked through.   
  
It was just as the white had said. There were a number - eight - of native bodies, mostly reds and blues littering the first few meters of the hallway. Down at the other end of hallway Melana saw a couple of stormtroopers standing guard. She frowned as she noticed that neither of them was armed. She picked up a small chunk of metal (probably what was left of the door), and threw it down the hallway. Nothing happened. It had to be some sort of automated system, which could recognize life forms as opposed to inanimate objects. But if that was the case, the stormtroopers at the end of the hall should have been targeted as well. Maybe they had some sort of tag that told the system they weren't intruders, or maybe the protection didn't extend that far down the hall...  
  
Melana shook her head. This didn't make sense. She didn't know much about Imperials, but common sense dictated that they not leave those around them alive. If she was at the other end of the hall, she'd stay behind some cover beyond where the system ended, and fire away at the natives. Even if they cleared away from the door, the stormtroopers had the building - why weren't they trying to attack from the upper-story windows? The natives here were completely unprotected - another mistake the white should have already fixed - but why hadn't the Imperials taken advantage of that?   
  
She looked through the door again, and noticed something else - every single one of the natives who had been shot had also been carrying a blaster. That made sense - even if they were reds and blues, it didn't take much training to do a lot of damage to a building. So you'd give decent weapons to the reds and blues and hope that they took out a lot of stormtroopers before they died. Even if they didn't, that would give away the stormtroopers positions, and make it easier for the trained troops to get them. Melana was disgusted by the careless throwing away of lives - for someone who had grown up on a planet where life was valuable and often short this was practically intolerable - even as she analyzed the methodology.   
  
Something clicked in her mind - something one of the traders on her world had said, a long time ago. Something about weapons-sensitive defense systems. They'd been talking about how useless they were at the time, how anyone who was decent with a vibroblade could do just as much killing as anyone with a blaster, but that wasn't the point. "Has anyone without a blaster gone in there?" she asked the white, who shook his head, looking even more confused.   
  
Melana handed her blaster to him. Unlike the whites here, she wasn't about to let anyone risk their lives for her. "I think it's a weapons-based defense. It targets anyone who's carrying a blaster. That's why the stormtroopers aren't armed - if they carry weapons, the system will target them too. I'll go first. Get your best hand-to-hand fighters here..." Melana briefly wished that Lotah, easily the equal of the best fighter among the natives, was here. "... and have them follow me in. The stormtroopers won't have any blasters, but they've still got armor and we don't. Give the rest of the guns to people who stay out here - after we attack, they'll probably come out, and then they can use their blasters. We have to be ready for that."  
  
Once he had instructions, it took the white less than five minutes to organize those around him. As soon as those who would follow her were ready, Melana stepped into the building. She forced herself not to flinch as she stepped into the range of the defense system, but there was no reaction. She allowed herself a moment of satisfaction that she'd been correct before she retreated to the door, hopefully before the guards noticed. "Did you see?" she asked, and they nodded. All were tense, but now they were willing to step over the threshold. "Who is a good knife-thrower?" There was a little shuffling around, then a yellow man stepped forward. "We have to take out the guards. A thrown knife won't penetrate their armor, but if you aim for the joints it will. Can you hit his neck," she pointed to the stormtrooper on the right, "from here?"  
  
"I can hit him," the yellow said confidently.   
  
"All right?" Melana fingered one of her own knives. She remembered how the waste of life at the bunker had upset her, but they didn't have a choice here. If the guards got off an alarm, the stormtroopers could very easily hold all of the natives in the narrow corridor, even without blasters. She addressed the rest of the group, "Don't worry about killing the wounded - just disable them and continue on. We may need prisoners later." She saw their surprised glances, but they were too well conditioned to argue. "Ready?" she asked the yellow, who nodded. "Now!"  
  
They ran through the door, and even as they cleared the threshold, Melana threw her knife. A few seconds later it was embedded solidly in the left stormtrooper's neck. He went down without a sound. The yellow was a half-second behind her in throwing his knife, but his aim was also true, and the only sound the second stormtrooper made was a slight gurgle as he collapsed.  
  
Without waiting to see if the others followed her, Melana ran forward. The stormtroopers probably outnumbered them here and were better trained, so they needed to take out as many as possible before an alarm was raised. Same idea as the entire rebellion, on a smaller scale.   
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Tian swore in frustration, and came around again for another pass. Every time they got close enough to fire, another TIE fighter would notice them, and they'd have to break off the attack to evade the enemy fire, loop around and destroy the fighter. If they just left us alone, they'd live a lot longer, and I'd be done already, he grumbled to himself, actually forgetting how stressed and tense he was at the time. That was the fifth time they'd had to break off, and they couldn't keep this up forever. Most of the traders were either dead or long gone, and although there weren't a lot of TIEs left, they wouldn't stayed occupied with the remaining traders for long. Then it would become really apparent that Cahi wasn't a trader, and that they weren't trying to run, if it wasn't apparent already.  
  
They'd barely gotten on course when an alarm went off again. Tian muttered a Hutt curse that he'd learned from some of the cruder traders they'd run into, and from the way Tiros's eyebrows shot up, Tian was fairly certain his father hadn't know that he knew that sort of language. "Where is it?" he said through gritted teeth, looking at the range between themselves and the cruiser. The last TIE had been dispatched rather quickly, and they were closer to the cruiser than they'd ever gotten before. Less than thirty seconds until they were in range.  
  
"It's coming up right behind us," Tiros reported, and Tian swore again, another curse that made his father's eyebrows threaten to disappear beneath his bangs.   
  
"Wait!" Cahi said over com as Tian started to pull back. She'd been doing that every now and then, giving advice based on her more immediate knowledge of what was going on around them. Tian hesitated - her advice had been good before. "Don't break off! I can take care of this one!"  
  
Tian glanced at his father - Cahi's previous advice had been good, but that was very different then letting her try to take on a TIE. What exactly was she going to do, flash the ship's lights at it? "What are you going to do?"  
  
"Lorb installed it. He said it would only be good for one shot, but one shot's all I need."  
  
"Installed what?"  
  
"A missile launcher. I only have one missile, Lorb said, so I have to get him on the first try. But he's not dodging or anything - I can hit him."  
  
Tian glanced at his father as lasers brushed against their rear shields. The shields held, for now. "What do you think?"  
  
Tiros glanced pointedly at his scanner. "There are only two traders left, and ten TIEs. We can't fight that many off at once. This might be our last shot at the cruiser."  
  
Tian again looked at the target - less than twenty seconds till they got in range. Again laser fire hit their back shields. This time it set off warning lights - another hit or two and the shields would collapse. "There's only one trader left," his father reported mechanically. "Five or the TIEs have broken off to chase us. They'll be in firing range in sixty-seven seconds."  
  
There was no way that Tian could escape five TIEs at once. "Cahi, you'd better be able to do this..." he muttered.  
  
"I can. Give me five seconds to get a lock on him..." 


	18. XVIII

Gerit first became aware that something was wrong when he felt a slight vibration through the bulkhead. The ship was no longer under attack from the outside, and the engines weren't firing, so the ship should be still. Even if there were a hundred stormtroopers marching in unison on the floor above them, there shouldn't be a noticeable vibration. "Status!" he snapped, suddenly anxious.  
  
"We're working on it, sir. Maybe ten more minutes and we'll have sensors back. Fifteen to twenty for weapons and propulsion."  
  
"Make it five."  
  
Everyone knew better than to argue, they simply worked more diligently than ever. He put his hand against the bulkhead again, and the vibrations had increased. "You!" he pointed to one of the people laboring over the weapons system. "Come here!"  
  
The blond man stood up and hurried over. Gerit nodded to where his hand was still on the wall. "What is this?"  
  
The man put his hand on the wall and paled. "The only thing that would do this was if they were actually cutting through some of the structural support." He glanced up and around. "They must be trying to cut through from somewhere. Probably the ceiling, since we're above the TIE bay."   
  
The officer dismissed him and drew his blaster, eyes on the ceiling. The natives were apparently more resourceful than they had guessed. "Hurry up!" he urged, "The filthy natives are trying to cut their way in!"  
  
Rather than make them work faster, this announcement only made the surviving bridge members more nervous, and work slower. He paced back and forth at the front of the bridge, carefully avoiding the still-open door. Suddenly sparks rained down from the ceiling. Everyone jumped, and work stopped entirely. They all watched as a definite circle was cut through the ceiling. Just before it was completed, everyone drew their blasters. Gerit glanced around one more time. There was very little cover on the bridge, and they'd be easy prey for whoever was up there. One concussion grenade and they'd all be dead... He started moving towards the door. Better to have a fighting chance than sit here and be slaughtered. And with the rest of his people providing a distraction here, he had a good chance of making it to one of the life pods...   
  
--------------------------------------  
  
After Telnara had delivered her message and the torches to the floor above the bridge, she was sent to tell those waiting outside the bridge to go to the assault point. They thought they'd need as many people as possible to storm the bridge when it was time. On her way down, Telnara appropriated a blaster from the body of a dead offworlder. She had thought that she would travel lightly, and trust that the whites wouldn't send her anywhere where she would need a blaster. Now she wasn't sure, and she wasn't about to be ordered into a fight with no weapon.   
  
When she got down to the corridor outside the bridge, there were five whites and yellows crouched there, waiting. She quickly explained the situation, and they all headed upstairs. But before they left, one of the whites ordered her to stay there, and to fire a few shots at the doorway minute, to keep the offworlders pinned down. Telnara aimed one shot through the door, then settled down to wait.  
  
A few minutes later, there was a lot of shouting, and the sound of a lot of blaster fire. Telnara took up a position at the end of the hall, ready if any of the offworlders should try to escape. Only one did.  
  
A male, with graying hair and a lot of officer's stripes on his shirt, stepped through the door and ran down the hall, firing randomly. Telnara was not panicked. She aimed carefully, and fired. She hit him in the center of his chest, and he went down, dead before he hit the ground. His blaster fell from lifeless fingers. Telnara waited, but no one else came out. After a few minutes the sounds of fighting stopped, and one of the yellows stuck his head through the door to give the all-clear signal. She immediately stood up and went to check the bodies lying in the hall, to make sure that all of the offworlders were dead, and that none of their people were savable.   
  
Everyone in the corridor was dead. Telnara paused for a second by the body of the man she'd killed. She hadn't been up here very long, but she knew enough to identify the officers by the stripes on their uniforms. This one had more stripes than she'd ever seen before. So they'll have one less leader. All the better. Telnara pushed the blaster into the back of her pants, where it was partially hidden and easily accessible. She assumed a properly subservient expression before going to the whites for her next assignment.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Lotah was so caught up in the action klicks above her that she failed to recognize the personal danger she was in until it was almost too late. One moment she was watching the end of the last resistance on the cruiser, the next her entire body shook with the presence of danger. She instinctively threw herself to one side, barely in time to avoid the blaster bolt that crashed through the space she had just occupied. Automatically she rolled to avoid injuring herself, but on the way down her injured arm hit the floor and the pain from that nearly knocked her unconscious again. Grimly she got to her feet again to face her attacker. As it had worked out, she now had an overturned table between herself and the direction the last attack had come from.   
  
"Good to see you haven't lost all of your senses," said a familiar voice.   
  
Lotah froze, and felt fear in the pit of her stomach. "Get away from me," she said in a low voice. Her knife was already in her good hand. "I'll kill you."  
  
"You? You couldn't kill me if your life depended on it. Which it happens to." There were no more shots, and Lotah peeked over the edge of the table. There, just the way she remembered him, was the man from the prison. The one who had tried to break her. Her entire body tensed as she remembered the pain. He held a blaster pointed directly at the table, but didn't fire.  
  
"No it doesn't. I remember, you want me alive."  
  
"That was before. The situation has changed, somewhat. These miserable natives picked a terrible time to have their little rebellion."  
  
Lotah's face was a mask, showing nothing - maybe that was what gave her away.   
  
"You know something..." he said, studying her. Lotah felt a tingle at the front of her mind as a clumsy hand tried to access her memories. Now that she wasn't drugged, panicked, and in pain, she remembered something.   
  
"You aren't as powerful as you want me to think," she declared with unwavering certainty. "You couldn't touch me unless I was drugged, and even then you couldn't break me."  
  
A flash of anger passed over his face, then cleared. "You're trying to distract me." Actually, Lotah had no such intention, but it would have been nice if it worked that way. He looked around, then back at her as she got to her feet. If he were going to shoot he would have done it already. "No, it's not bad timing... you're responsible for all of this."  
  
Lotah controlled her face. It didn't matter whether he knew or not. It was too late for him to do anything about it, anyway. She'd won. But I could still lose it all if he escapes, she reminded herself. Because he'll never leave me alone. And if he catches me, he'll destroy my friends and family in order to destroy me.   
  
Lotah's knife was still in her hand, hidden from him. He wasn't strong enough to read her mind when she was calm and controlled, so he couldn't sense her intentions. Her skill throwing knives wasn't as good as she was fighting hand-to-hand, but he wasn't that far away. Even with her left hand she could easily plant this knife in the middle of his chest, or maybe even his face. But in order to do that she'd have to rely on the Force, and therefore she'd feel the affects of whatever she did to him. And she meant to kill him.  
  
"I have to admit, I'm surprised. It's not like you to take up causes, especially of pathetic natives like these. What did they offer to get you to help them? Passage off planet? Your own supply of poison? Or was it a few slaves of your own? They give away their own as if they were livestock."  
  
This reference as to how she ended up a slave in the first place was too much for Lotah. Before she knew what she was doing, she snapped, "They didn't give me anything."  
  
"Oh, come now. You expect me to believe that you're doing this out of the charity of your own heart? We both know you're far to pragmatic for that."  
  
Lotah was struck by the accusation. She'd been on the run, trying to avoid being caught, of course she'd had to do things she wasn't proud of, and ignore people she might have helped. But she'd been trying to survive. And now? What if she did survive this rebellion? What would she do then? No matter what, she couldn't go back to running again. Not after all she'd done, the family she'd found, she couldn't go back to running...   
  
"I chose to help them. There was no coercion or bribes involved." Lotah wasn't really talking to him, she was talking to herself, telling herself the truth, that she actually had done this for someone other than herself. She didn't know why it had suddenly become so important to her that she do something to help others, but it was. It's because of Melana. The Jedi. Op must have been one too, or at least known about them. It's what he would have done, and I always wanted to do what he would have, but I never knew how. And now she could do that - she could make a real difference, by killing this man, even if it did mean her own death. Prove once and for all that she wasn't what this man wanted to make her.  
  
Lotah flipped the knife over in her hand, grasping the blade between her thumb and index finger, ready to throw it. But before she did, there was something she wanted to tell him. A small smile played around the corners of her mouth. "Did you ever notice how those pathetic natives of yours look?"  
  
She saw shock on his face at the abrupt change in her tone and bearing. "Ever notice how they've got those bright streaks of color in their hair, those weird eyes? Just like mine?" She saw that he was figuring out what she was telling him. Before he could reason it all out, she finished, "Ever know how I ended up a slave in the first place? Because of Imps like you, I was taken away from my family, shipped off-planet, and I learned about the Force. And now I've found my family again, and my planet, and I've freed them. And you're not going to hurt anyone ever again." She was smiling broadly now. The Force was flowing through her, and for one brief instant she could feel his terror.   
  
Then, before she could have second thoughts or he could use the blaster he still held, Lotah raised her good arm and threw the blade. The man was only a few meters away. In less than a second the blade hit him and was buried hilt-deep in his chest.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Melana shouted, trying to make herself heard over the noise. In all their weeks of preparation, they had never prepared for this - the chaos after the battle was over. Less than ten minutes ago they'd received word from the cruiser overhead that the great ship had been taken, with minimal damage but great loss of life. The opposite had occurred on the surface, where relatively few had been lost, but the damage to the city was great. Still, the casualties were staggering.   
  
She'd managed to get all of the remaining leaders into one hotel, along with Lorb, and when they arrived, the rest of the off-worlders. But it was still chaos. There were literally hundreds of wounded to deal with, along with several dozen prisoners, who had been bound and thrown into one of the rooms, with several healthy natives to guard them. A few minutes after the first message from the cruiser arrived, a second one came. The whites up there were requesting that a shuttle be sent up immediately with a replacement crew, as the one up there had been decimated by the fighting, and the survivors were exhausted. Melana couldn't imagine that they were much more tired than any of the people on the surface, but she didn't know how to refuse the request. After all, it wasn't *her* rebellion.  
  
She was just about to assign one of the yellows to get a crew together when Dowla tapped her arm and said that he would take care of it. For a second she stared stupidly at him. Then she remembered that he would want to get his own people on board, so that the cruiser couldn't be used as a weapon against them when they started their own rebellion. Melana was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and the thought of more fighting made her even more tired. But she was a fighter, and not about to give into something as paltry as exhaustion, not now. Instead, she nodded, and he hurried out the door.  
  
Melana could hear the bedlam in the lobby, the confusion as the wounded and dead were brought in and accounted for. There were also several groups of wounded who had been sent out of the town during the fighting, and they were just returning as well. Besides that, women and children from the nearest villages were streaming in to aid the fighters. There were also whites who were deemed too important to risk in combat who were just coming in. And in the midst of all of that, Lotah was nowhere to be found.   
  
Melana had already instigated a building-by-building search of the entire port for stormtroopers in hiding, wounded who weren't able to make it to the hotel, and dead. She hoped that Lotah wouldn't be part of that last category. So far the searchers had found many bodies, a few live stormtroopers, several wounded natives, but no Lotah.   
  
Tian came running up to her. "Some of the whites downstairs have ordered everyone to hand their blasters over. They're collecting them in one of the rooms. They decided that they don't want to poison their culture with any offworlders' weapons." He took a deep breath. "And of course, everyone's listening to them. A few of Dowla's people have managed to hide their weapons, for later, but the rest are in that room. I heard that they're planning to destroy them all. Besides that, the whites have ordered everyone who have already turned in their blasters and are not engaged in caring for the wounded, guarding the prisoners, or searching the port should go back to their villages. They're completely pulling this whole thing apart in a matter of minutes." He was definitely doing better. When he first arrived and found out that no one knew where Lotah was, he'd looked close to hysterical. Now he had control of himself, and if he still had a pained look on his face, at least he wasn't letting it interfere with his work. Melana approved of such discipline.  
  
She muttered a savage curse. Despite all they'd had to do with the planning of the rebellion, the truth was that the offworlders had no hold over the natives. The only ones who would listen to them over the whites were Dowla's people, and they were occupied right now. Lotah had been the true leader of this rebellion, someone for everyone to get together behind, and now that she was missing, there was no leadership. There were dozens of little leaders doing their best to coordinate their efforts, but it obviously wasn't working well. "Try to keep them from destroying the blasters, for now," she told him. "We might need them later."  
  
"But what about the rest?"   
  
"We can't do anything about that now. If the whites are clearing the port, so much the better. Dowla's people know to stay, and if the whites send all their people away, they won't have anyone to fight for them."  
  
Tian nodded and ran off. He'd matured greatly in the last few hours, and as far as Melana was concerned it was a welcome change. She wondered how much of that change had to do with his worry over Lotah.   
  
One of Dowla's people came running up and told her that they'd found several unconscious stormtroopers in the back room of a house. They were all unconscious, right now. Melana looked around. She had limited people who would obey her, and had exhausted all her resources. She was about to tell the man to go look for a white to inform (hopefully the report could be acted on then) when she suddenly realized that all of the noise coming from downstairs had ceased.  
  
Everyone in the upper room also stopped talking, listening to the silence. Melana looked over to where Lorb and Tiros had been arguing with a white about how to deal with some wounded, and jerked her head towards the door. They made their way over to her, then out the door and stood on the balcony. Downstairs in the lobby, all movement had stopped, and everyone in the room was staring at a single figure that stood in the center of it. Even if she hadn't seen the red streaks in her hair, Melana would have known Lotah's stance anywhere. If that wasn't proof enough, Tian suddenly stepped in the center of the room, extending a hand towards Lotah.  
  
The hotel had obviously been designed to remind people of sometimes opulent Coruscant, and even had a set of stairs leading up to the second floor, which had proved useful as the turbolifts were so jammed. Melana had no idea who was supposed to stay here, since the only visitors to the planet were low-level Imps and traders, but she was glad for the extra space. Now Tian carefully helped Lotah up the stairs, Lotah doing her best to keep her head high and face composed despite all of the stares. As she reached the second floor, someone let out a cheer. The whites immediately tried to quiet it, but by then it was too late, as the entire floor cheered for the red girl. Lotah turned to look down at them, exhaustion carved into every line of her body, and smiled. She straightened up and waved at the crowd. There was an even louder cheer than before, which didn't die down until Lotah had disappeared from sight.  
  
As Lotah approached the room where the organization had gathered, Melana saw the reason for the look of concern on Tian's face. Lotah's right arm was drenched in blood, and tied off by a sloppy bandage. She also had a series of small cuts all over her body, and Melana thought she saw some black and blue bruises. Lotah looked as if she'd fought the entire rebellion herself, both on the land and in space.  
  
"We need a medic here!" Tian shouted as he escorted Lotah into the room and propelled her towards a chair. She sat down and winced.   
  
"I'll be fine," she said as an orange, not of Dowla's group, bent to look at her injuries. "What's going on?"   
  
Immediately all of the leaders gathered around Lotah and began giving her precise reports. As a bigger picture began to come together, she started issuing orders to cut down on the chaos and increase efficiency. It was a simple enough task, and Lotah made all the same decisions that Melana would have. The only difference was with her the natives were willing, even eager to listen to her commands. Within a half-hour the bedlam downstairs had died down to a low roar. The injured who could be moved were being evacuated to their respective villages, and those too bad off to be moved that far were being moved to rooms in the hotel, which was relatively undamaged. The prisoners were moved to the jail, most of which was intact, and a bunch of greens and blues were sent to guard them.   
  
All this time, people had continued to stream in and ship out. The whites had ordered that all able-bodied return immediately to their villages - Lotah managed to alter that command enough so that the able-bodied could take the wounded back to the villages, or perform other chores before they were sent back permanently.   
  
No one seemed to notice the growing number of blacks, reds, blues, and greens. Already the whites, yellows and oranges who had been on board the cruiser had been replaced by Dowla's people - just a skeleton crew, enough to conduct some minor repairs and keep the cruiser from crashing into the atmosphere.  
  
At one point Tiros approached Melana. "We have a problem," he said bluntly. "And I didn't want to bother Lotah with it until we have something constructive to tell her." He glanced across the room to where Lotah was still surrounded by a throng of people. Tian seemed to have become her unofficial right hand, as he took half of the reports himself and consolidated them to tell Lotah. And the reports were still flowing in. The port was tiny, compared to any of the cities they'd visited on their way here, but it was still a decent-sized settlement, and the building-by-building search was taking hours. Lorb and Cahi were keeping track of the death count, which was still rising as more bodies were discovered, both native and stormtroopers.   
  
"What's the problem?" Melana asked wearily.   
  
"We managed to kick the Imps off this planet. A bunch of natives armed mostly with knives against the Imperial fleet, or what's left of it, anyway. The Imperial fleet I know is not going to stand for this, when they find out. They'll come and burn this planet to a crisp just to show the folly of going up against the Imperials. Not right away, mind you. We took both the cruiser and the on-surface communications tower before they managed to get off a distress call, so as far as their command is concerned, there's nothing wrong here. It may take them a few weeks or a few months, but sooner or later they're going to realize that they've lost this world, and then they're going to come. It's just a matter of time."  
  
Melana had a sudden image of what would happen if the Imperials did come back here in force, and wished she hadn't. "Do you have any ideas?" she, personally, was too tired to think.  
  
"I had one, but I don't know if it will work. I'll need your help, and Dowla's..."  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Lotah was intensely grateful that whatever the medic had used on her arm had also numbed the nerves, so she couldn't feel the pain. She couldn't feel anything, but that was all right. If only the medic could have done something similar for her head. All she wanted right now was for someone else to be the leader, to make decisions, and to listen to the lists of the dead. There were more than had been first apparent, and each one felt like a blow to Lotah.   
  
At least her family was safe. Jen and Sam had appeared not long after she did, with nothing worse than a few minor scrapes and bruises. And just a few minutes ago the rest of her brothers and sisters had arrived, including Wynn, which both surprised and worried Lotah. So far the girl, although vocal in her opposition to Dowla's plan, had done nothing to stop it. But all it would take was a single word to a white to give away the entire game. Jen had realized this, and not left Wynn's side since she arrived.   
  
Besides that, the little girl, Rialle, and Erpit were both all right. Lotah had found out when a messenger came running in, gasping about some crazy little red girl who'd somehow gotten her hands on a blaster and wouldn't let anyone touch it. Lotah hurried downstairs and relieved Rialle of the weapon. The little girl was dancing around in excitement, telling Lotah how she'd saved them. Somehow Erpit, who'd since been treated for his wounds, managed to find his way through the crowds to Rialle and explained what the little girl was talking about. They'd made it out of the town all right, but when they made it to the woods, they were set on by a pack of tynes, large reptiles that were known for attacking helpless prey. One of the two escorts had been killed immediately, but with Rialle's help, the remaining escort had managed to chase off the scavengers. "Rialle is quite a shot," Erpit said, patting the girl's shoulder. She grinned proudly.   
  
Lotah was glad to see that her friend and the girl were all right, and that she'd been justified in giving Rialle a weapon, but now she had another problem. Rialle was never going to be a proper red again after this, but her parents were probably not in Dowla's group. Lotah was not in the business of making orphans, but if she sent Rialle back to her village as she was now, she'd be killed in a matter of weeks. Lotah could see the angry glances of the oranges and greens around her already. She didn't know what to do, so she told Erpit to keep an eye on Rialle and keep her out of harm's way when the second rebellion occurred. Then she headed back up to the 'command center' to continue her work.  
  
An enormous amount of work was done that day, and they worked long into the night. Lotah didn't get to sleep until well past midnight, and then she fell into a sleep so deep that she couldn't be woken until dawn the next day. She awoke feeling little rested - her dreams had been nightmares of her killing everyone she knew. But that was a simple nightmare, not a vision, so she didn't let it bother her. I've never killed anyone before. This is a natural reaction. At least that's what Lotah kept telling herself.   
  
She didn't know whether or not anyone had found the body yet, and when she thought about it, she didn't really care. She had fully expected to be dead herself, so when her knife hit it's target and she stood there, unharmed, she had been a little surprised. Her aim had been good, and it took only a few seconds for the man to die. He cursed her, the new Republic, the Jedi, and everyone else he could think of in that short about of time. And then it was over. Lotah had spent all this time worrying over the pain she felt at hurting other people, thinking about what would happen if she killed someone someday, and it took less then a minute to end.   
  
She was still somewhat numb when she pulled her knife out of the man's chest and cleaned it off on the bottom of his shirt. He'd never even managed to get a shot off. Lotah removed the blaster from dead fingers, flipped it to stun, and stuck it in the back of her pants. The pain in her right arm brought her back to reality, and she spared only one more glance at the body - it seemed odd now that she hadn't even known his name when she killed him - before she headed back outside.   
  
Opening herself to the Force, she discovered that almost all the fighting was over. But not the aftereffects, Lotah discovered. She barely made it three steps before she stumbled over a body. At least, that's what she thought. Most of the right side of the chest was gone. It must have been sudden. He didn't even have a chance to draw his blaster, she thought, looking at the blaster still in it's holster. She thought she should feel something, some feeling of victory or triumph, now that they had won, but she was just numb. She was about to continue on when the body moaned.   
  
Lotah wasn't a superstitious person, but she muttered a blessing for wayward travelers before turning around. She knelt and up close, noticed what she hadn't before. He was still breathing.   
  
Despite all she'd seen and done, Lotah had to fight the urge to be sick. The shot had apparently missed his heart and one of his lungs, so although the wound was mortal, it was not immediately fatal. She wondered how long he'd been lying here, dying.   
  
Carefully, very carefully, she removed his helmet. It was an older man, with graying hair cropped short. His eyes were open, and they fixed on her. His lips moved, but only a few red bubbles came out. Lotah knew he had to be in terrible pain. She drew his unused blaster and pointed it at his head. "Do you want me to?" she asked, and bit her lip. What was she doing? He was the enemy! But his suffering wouldn't aid her cause in any way, and his side had already lost.   
  
He tried to speak, but less than a whisper came out. Lotah had been watching his lips, and tried to read them. "Chip?" she asked. "What chip?"  
  
Helmet, he mouthed. Lotah picked up the helmet. A quick search revealed a small chip attached to the base of the helmet, right where it would have touched the neck. She held it up. "This one?"  
  
He gave the barest of nods. "What is it?"  
  
Letter, he mouthed.  
  
"I'll see that it's delivered," she said as kindly as she could, considering the circumstances. He smiled, ever so slightly, and his eyes flicked to the blaster she still held. "Now?" she asked, and he nodded again. Lotah closed her eyes, turned her head away, and pulled the trigger. The body jerked and lay still.   
  
For a long moment Lotah just sat and stared at him. She'd had no personal quarrel with him, not like the man. Yet she still killed him. It was mercy, her conscience reminded her. It was murder. She refused to make excuses to herself. She had committed murder. She examined the chip she still held in her hand. Tiros would know what to do with it. She tucked it into her pocket and stood up. She opened herself to the Force, tried to concentrate on where the most people were, but all she could feel was pain all around her. Her newly found conscience wouldn't let her do nothing. Lotah concentrated on the nearest source of pain, and found it's source.   
  
It was another stormtrooper. He had a bad leg wound - it started at his hip and the black burn reached all the way to his knee. It looked like he had twisted just before he was shot, so instead of cutting him in half, the shot only hit his leg. Still, there was a large pool of blood underneath him - he'd die of blood loss unless someone did something. Lotah ran into the nearest house and ripped up some bed sheets. She'd have no more blood on her hands if it was preventable.   
  
The stormtrooper had long since lost consciousness, which made binding his leg easier. As she finished, he started to come around. He immediately let out a cry of terror and tried to crawl away from her, but she had a firm grip on his leg, and he let out a second cry, this one of pain. "Shut up and sit still," Lotah said firmly. If he didn't, he'd pull off the bandages she'd just made, and all of the work she'd gone to in order to keep him alive would be for nothing.  
  
"You... you speak Basic," he stammered.  
  
Lotah's hands were covered in blood. She stared at the stormtrooper thoughtfully, then pushed her hand against his chest. The blood left a red handprint on his chest plate. Among her people, when there were battles between villages, the lower classes were often loot. If, during a battle, a white or yellow wanted to claim a prize, they left a bloody handprint on the chest of the slave. It was just one more disgusting practice that Lotah wanted destroyed, but now it served her, for she had, in effect, just claimed this stormtrooper. She was sure that her claim would be denied, but for now no one would kill him, which was all she wanted.   
  
"Don't touch that," she told him. "It'll keep anyone else from killing you."  
  
He had started to bring his hand up to touch the mark, now he raised it to his head and removed the helmet. Despite herself, Lotah's eyebrows shot up. Here was yet another boy, only a few years older than herself. Does the Imperial Army consist only of old men and children? Terror was written across his face, but if he wasn't dying, Lotah didn't have time to comfort him. What did she think she was doing? What were they going to do with prisoners? She wouldn't allow them to be sold into slavery, and they couldn't just release them - what other options did they have? But she couldn't just stand by and let them die.  
  
"What are you doing?" he whispered, staring at the handprint as if it carried some curse.   
  
"I'm saving your life!" she snapped. She could feel other people's pain closing in on her. She tried to orient on the next person, but he tried to sit up and groaned.  
  
"Sit still, or the leg will start bleeding again!"  
  
"You... you bandaged my leg."  
  
"Would you prefer I cut it off?" Lotah asked, beginning to get really annoyed.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Lotah was so startled by the thanks that it snapped her out of her irritation. "What?"  
  
"Thank you for saving my life."  
  
"You're welcome," Lotah said, wondering if he'd thanked her too soon. She had no idea what would happen to him in a few days.  
  
All told, she rescued fourteen stormtroopers, and eight natives. She gave mercy to four other stormtroopers, and one native. Three stormtroopers attempted to attack her as soon as she tried to approach, so she left them. All three had wounds that would become fatal if not treated. Of the fourteen stormtroopers, six of them were under twenty-one, and four were over fifty. Lotah was more than a little sick at heart by the time she reached the hotel. And there they treated her like a hero, which made her feel even more dirty, but Lotah knew better than to protest. At that point, all she wanted was to close her eyes and never open them again, but they needed her. Not because of any real skill she had at leading, but because she was the only one everyone would listen to.   
  
So now she was here, about to start a second revolution. More blood on her hands. At least the stormtroopers were all right. Sometime yesterday someone had come in with reports of stormtroopers with the claim mark on them. Lotah hadn't said she had claimed them, but ordered them to be cared for and kept separate from the other prisoners. Few were happy with her decision, but no one was about to dispute her orders on so minor a matter.   
  
The search, which had gone on through the night, was finally finished, and all of the natives accounted for. The wounded, for the most part, had either stabilized or died during the night. Lorb, Cahi, and Tian had managed to get some of the medical facilities working again, including two bacta tanks, and that had saved a lot of lives.   
  
Suddenly the hall outside the main planning room fell silent, and everyone looked up, knowing that it had to be someone of very high rank in order to compel the silence of the whites and yellows outside. Sure enough, the leader of Dowla's former village came in, followed by the leader of Jen's former village. The former looked stunned at the sight of all of the whites and yellows who were obeying a red, while the latter ignored her entirely. They stood in the doorway for a full minute, obviously trying to figure out who was in charge, without it being Lotah. They failed, and finally walked across the room to her. By the time they reached her, everyone except Lotah and the offworlders were on their knees.   
  
"You did it," Grat said in their native tongue. Lotah was surprised that he gave her any credit at all. "The offworlders have been beaten. Now you will leave?" It was an attempt at a command.   
  
"All of the people shall return to their villages, and you will take the offworlders with you when you leave," the woman said, not looking at her. "We have already given the order, and the wounded have been evacuated."  
  
Lotah hoped that Dowla was ready even as she thought about how stupid these whites were, to think that her small group could possibly transport all of the prisoners off-planet. But she kept silent and nodded agreement. The more regular natives that had returned to their homes, the harder it would be for the whites to launch any kind of resistance to Dowla's claim of independence.   
  
The two whites spun and walked out, and most of the natives in the room followed them. A blue who had been acting as a messenger, and who was part of Dowla's rebellion, stayed. "What do we do now?" he asked.  
  
"Do you know where Dowla is?" He nodded. "Go tell him what's happened. If you see any of our people on your way, tell them to stay back as long as they can without being noticed. Dowla will tell you what else to do." As he left, Lotah noticed that Melana had also disappeared. The remaining natives filed out after the blue, and Lotah found herself alone. She sighed. When the whites, in all their wisdom, had decided to evacuate everyone now, they'd also left several projects unfinished. None of them was critical, but all of them needed to be finished. And now Lotah had been left with no help.   
  
She thought. The most important of the unfinished projects was an estimate on what they needed to keep the cruiser in orbit for the next several months. Lotah smiled tiredly. She wondered what the whites were planning to do with those who were up on the cruiser - or had they forgotten those people entirely?  
  
That, at least, was for the best. As long as they didn't remember the existence of the cruiser and those on board, they wouldn't think to use the cruiser as a weapon against the rebels.   
  
Lotah sat down and got to work. She had limited time before the whites noticed that something was wrong - she might as well get as much done now as possible.  
  



	19. XIX

Gerit first became aware that something was wrong when he felt a slight vibration through the bulkhead. The ship was no longer under attack from the outside, and the engines weren't firing, so the ship should be still. Even if there were a hundred stormtroopers marching in unison on the floor above them, there shouldn't be a noticeable vibration. "Status!" he snapped, suddenly anxious.  
  
"We're working on it, sir. Maybe ten more minutes and we'll have sensors back. Fifteen to twenty for weapons and propulsion."  
  
"Make it five."  
  
Everyone knew better than to argue, they simply worked more diligently than ever. He put his hand against the bulkhead again, and the vibrations had increased. "You!" he pointed to one of the people laboring over the weapons system. "Come here!"  
  
The blond man stood up and hurried over. Gerit nodded to where his hand was still on the wall. "What is this?"  
  
The man put his hand on the wall and paled. "The only thing that would do this was if they were actually cutting through some of the structural support." He glanced up and around. "They must be trying to cut through from somewhere. Probably the ceiling, since we're above the TIE bay."   
  
The officer dismissed him and drew his blaster, eyes on the ceiling. The natives were apparently more resourceful than they had guessed. "Hurry up!" he urged, "The filthy natives are trying to cut their way in!"  
  
Rather than make them work faster, this announcement only made the surviving bridge members more nervous, and work slower. He paced back and forth at the front of the bridge, carefully avoiding the still-open door. Suddenly sparks rained down from the ceiling. Everyone jumped, and work stopped entirely. They all watched as a definite circle was cut through the ceiling. Just before it was completed, everyone drew their blasters. Gerit glanced around one more time. There was very little cover on the bridge, and they'd be easy prey for whoever was up there. One concussion grenade and they'd all be dead... He started moving towards the door. Better to have a fighting chance than sit here and be slaughtered. And with the rest of his people providing a distraction here, he had a good chance of making it to one of the life pods...   
  
--------------------------------------  
  
After Telnara had delivered her message and the torches to the floor above the bridge, she was sent to tell those waiting outside the bridge to go to the assault point. They thought they'd need as many people as possible to storm the bridge when it was time. On her way down, Telnara appropriated a blaster from the body of a dead offworlder. She had thought that she would travel lightly, and trust that the whites wouldn't send her anywhere where she would need a blaster. Now she wasn't sure, and she wasn't about to be ordered into a fight with no weapon.   
  
When she got down to the corridor outside the bridge, there were five whites and yellows crouched there, waiting. She quickly explained the situation, and they all headed upstairs. But before they left, one of the whites ordered her to stay there, and to fire a few shots at the doorway minute, to keep the offworlders pinned down. Telnara aimed one shot through the door, then settled down to wait.  
  
A few minutes later, there was a lot of shouting, and the sound of a lot of blaster fire. Telnara took up a position at the end of the hall, ready if any of the offworlders should try to escape. Only one did.  
  
A male, with graying hair and a lot of officer's stripes on his shirt, stepped through the door and ran down the hall, firing randomly. Telnara was not panicked. She aimed carefully, and fired. She hit him in the center of his chest, and he went down, dead before he hit the ground. His blaster fell from lifeless fingers. Telnara waited, but no one else came out. After a few minutes the sounds of fighting stopped, and one of the yellows stuck his head through the door to give the all-clear signal. She immediately stood up and went to check the bodies lying in the hall, to make sure that all of the offworlders were dead, and that none of their people were savable.   
  
Everyone in the corridor was dead. Telnara paused for a second by the body of the man she'd killed. She hadn't been up here very long, but she knew enough to identify the officers by the stripes on their uniforms. This one had more stripes than she'd ever seen before. So they'll have one less leader. All the better. Telnara pushed the blaster into the back of her pants, where it was partially hidden and easily accessible. She assumed a properly subservient expression before going to the whites for her next assignment.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Lotah was so caught up in the action klicks above her that she failed to recognize the personal danger she was in until it was almost too late. One moment she was watching the end of the last resistance on the cruiser, the next her entire body shook with the presence of danger. She instinctively threw herself to one side, barely in time to avoid the blaster bolt that crashed through the space she had just occupied. Automatically she rolled to avoid injuring herself, but on the way down her injured arm hit the floor and the pain from that nearly knocked her unconscious again. Grimly she got to her feet again to face her attacker. As it had worked out, she now had an overturned table between herself and the direction the last attack had come from.   
  
"Good to see you haven't lost all of your senses," said a familiar voice.   
  
Lotah froze, and felt fear in the pit of her stomach. "Get away from me," she said in a low voice. Her knife was already in her good hand. "I'll kill you."  
  
"You? You couldn't kill me if your life depended on it. Which it happens to." There were no more shots, and Lotah peeked over the edge of the table. There, just the way she remembered him, was the man from the prison. The one who had tried to break her. Her entire body tensed as she remembered the pain. He held a blaster pointed directly at the table, but didn't fire.  
  
"No it doesn't. I remember, you want me alive."  
  
"That was before. The situation has changed, somewhat. These miserable natives picked a terrible time to have their little rebellion."  
  
Lotah's face was a mask, showing nothing - maybe that was what gave her away.   
  
"You know something..." he said, studying her. Lotah felt a tingle at the front of her mind as a clumsy hand tried to access her memories. Now that she wasn't drugged, panicked, and in pain, she remembered something.   
  
"You aren't as powerful as you want me to think," she declared with unwavering certainty. "You couldn't touch me unless I was drugged, and even then you couldn't break me."  
  
A flash of anger passed over his face, then cleared. "You're trying to distract me." Actually, Lotah had no such intention, but it would have been nice if it worked that way. He looked around, then back at her as she got to her feet. If he were going to shoot he would have done it already. "No, it's not bad timing... you're responsible for all of this."  
  
Lotah controlled her face. It didn't matter whether he knew or not. It was too late for him to do anything about it, anyway. She'd won. But I could still lose it all if he escapes, she reminded herself. Because he'll never leave me alone. And if he catches me, he'll destroy my friends and family in order to destroy me.   
  
Lotah's knife was still in her hand, hidden from him. He wasn't strong enough to read her mind when she was calm and controlled, so he couldn't sense her intentions. Her skill throwing knives wasn't as good as she was fighting hand-to-hand, but he wasn't that far away. Even with her left hand she could easily plant this knife in the middle of his chest, or maybe even his face. But in order to do that she'd have to rely on the Force, and therefore she'd feel the affects of whatever she did to him. And she meant to kill him.  
  
"I have to admit, I'm surprised. It's not like you to take up causes, especially of pathetic natives like these. What did they offer to get you to help them? Passage off planet? Your own supply of poison? Or was it a few slaves of your own? They give away their own as if they were livestock."  
  
This reference as to how she ended up a slave in the first place was too much for Lotah. Before she knew what she was doing, she snapped, "They didn't give me anything."  
  
"Oh, come now. You expect me to believe that you're doing this out of the charity of your own heart? We both know you're far to pragmatic for that."  
  
Lotah was struck by the accusation. She'd been on the run, trying to avoid being caught, of course she'd had to do things she wasn't proud of, and ignore people she might have helped. But she'd been trying to survive. And now? What if she did survive this rebellion? What would she do then? No matter what, she couldn't go back to running again. Not after all she'd done, the family she'd found, she couldn't go back to running...   
  
"I chose to help them. There was no coercion or bribes involved." Lotah wasn't really talking to him, she was talking to herself, telling herself the truth, that she actually had done this for someone other than herself. She didn't know why it had suddenly become so important to her that she do something to help others, but it was. It's because of Melana. The Jedi. Op must have been one too, or at least known about them. It's what he would have done, and I always wanted to do what he would have, but I never knew how. And now she could do that - she could make a real difference, by killing this man, even if it did mean her own death. Prove once and for all that she wasn't what this man wanted to make her.  
  
Lotah flipped the knife over in her hand, grasping the blade between her thumb and index finger, ready to throw it. But before she did, there was something she wanted to tell him. A small smile played around the corners of her mouth. "Did you ever notice how those pathetic natives of yours look?"  
  
She saw shock on his face at the abrupt change in her tone and bearing. "Ever notice how they've got those bright streaks of color in their hair, those weird eyes? Just like mine?" She saw that he was figuring out what she was telling him. Before he could reason it all out, she finished, "Ever know how I ended up a slave in the first place? Because of Imps like you, I was taken away from my family, shipped off-planet, and I learned about the Force. And now I've found my family again, and my planet, and I've freed them. And you're not going to hurt anyone ever again." She was smiling broadly now. The Force was flowing through her, and for one brief instant she could feel his terror.   
  
Then, before she could have second thoughts or he could use the blaster he still held, Lotah raised her good arm and threw the blade. The man was only a few meters away. In less than a second the blade hit him and was buried hilt-deep in his chest.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Melana shouted, trying to make herself heard over the noise. In all their weeks of preparation, they had never prepared for this - the chaos after the battle was over. Less than ten minutes ago they'd received word from the cruiser overhead that the great ship had been taken, with minimal damage but great loss of life. The opposite had occurred on the surface, where relatively few had been lost, but the damage to the city was great. Still, the casualties were staggering.   
  
She'd managed to get all of the remaining leaders into one hotel, along with Lorb, and when they arrived, the rest of the off-worlders. But it was still chaos. There were literally hundreds of wounded to deal with, along with several dozen prisoners, who had been bound and thrown into one of the rooms, with several healthy natives to guard them. A few minutes after the first message from the cruiser arrived, a second one came. The whites up there were requesting that a shuttle be sent up immediately with a replacement crew, as the one up there had been decimated by the fighting, and the survivors were exhausted. Melana couldn't imagine that they were much more tired than any of the people on the surface, but she didn't know how to refuse the request. After all, it wasn't *her* rebellion.  
  
She was just about to assign one of the yellows to get a crew together when Dowla tapped her arm and said that he would take care of it. For a second she stared stupidly at him. Then she remembered that he would want to get his own people on board, so that the cruiser couldn't be used as a weapon against them when they started their own rebellion. Melana was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and the thought of more fighting made her even more tired. But she was a fighter, and not about to give into something as paltry as exhaustion, not now. Instead, she nodded, and he hurried out the door.  
  
Melana could hear the bedlam in the lobby, the confusion as the wounded and dead were brought in and accounted for. There were also several groups of wounded who had been sent out of the town during the fighting, and they were just returning as well. Besides that, women and children from the nearest villages were streaming in to aid the fighters. There were also whites who were deemed too important to risk in combat who were just coming in. And in the midst of all of that, Lotah was nowhere to be found.   
  
Melana had already instigated a building-by-building search of the entire port for stormtroopers in hiding, wounded who weren't able to make it to the hotel, and dead. She hoped that Lotah wouldn't be part of that last category. So far the searchers had found many bodies, a few live stormtroopers, several wounded natives, but no Lotah.   
  
Tian came running up to her. "Some of the whites downstairs have ordered everyone to hand their blasters over. They're collecting them in one of the rooms. They decided that they don't want to poison their culture with any offworlders' weapons." He took a deep breath. "And of course, everyone's listening to them. A few of Dowla's people have managed to hide their weapons, for later, but the rest are in that room. I heard that they're planning to destroy them all. Besides that, the whites have ordered everyone who have already turned in their blasters and are not engaged in caring for the wounded, guarding the prisoners, or searching the port should go back to their villages. They're completely pulling this whole thing apart in a matter of minutes." He was definitely doing better. When he first arrived and found out that no one knew where Lotah was, he'd looked close to hysterical. Now he had control of himself, and if he still had a pained look on his face, at least he wasn't letting it interfere with his work. Melana approved of such discipline.  
  
She muttered a savage curse. Despite all they'd had to do with the planning of the rebellion, the truth was that the offworlders had no hold over the natives. The only ones who would listen to them over the whites were Dowla's people, and they were occupied right now. Lotah had been the true leader of this rebellion, someone for everyone to get together behind, and now that she was missing, there was no leadership. There were dozens of little leaders doing their best to coordinate their efforts, but it obviously wasn't working well. "Try to keep them from destroying the blasters, for now," she told him. "We might need them later."  
  
"But what about the rest?"   
  
"We can't do anything about that now. If the whites are clearing the port, so much the better. Dowla's people know to stay, and if the whites send all their people away, they won't have anyone to fight for them."  
  
Tian nodded and ran off. He'd matured greatly in the last few hours, and as far as Melana was concerned it was a welcome change. She wondered how much of that change had to do with his worry over Lotah.   
  
One of Dowla's people came running up and told her that they'd found several unconscious stormtroopers in the back room of a house. They were all unconscious, right now. Melana looked around. She had limited people who would obey her, and had exhausted all her resources. She was about to tell the man to go look for a white to inform (hopefully the report could be acted on then) when she suddenly realized that all of the noise coming from downstairs had ceased.  
  
Everyone in the upper room also stopped talking, listening to the silence. Melana looked over to where Lorb and Tiros had been arguing with a white about how to deal with some wounded, and jerked her head towards the door. They made their way over to her, then out the door and stood on the balcony. Downstairs in the lobby, all movement had stopped, and everyone in the room was staring at a single figure that stood in the center of it. Even if she hadn't seen the red streaks in her hair, Melana would have known Lotah's stance anywhere. If that wasn't proof enough, Tian suddenly stepped in the center of the room, extending a hand towards Lotah.  
  
The hotel had obviously been designed to remind people of sometimes opulent Coruscant, and even had a set of stairs leading up to the second floor, which had proved useful as the turbolifts were so jammed. Melana had no idea who was supposed to stay here, since the only visitors to the planet were low-level Imps and traders, but she was glad for the extra space. Now Tian carefully helped Lotah up the stairs, Lotah doing her best to keep her head high and face composed despite all of the stares. As she reached the second floor, someone let out a cheer. The whites immediately tried to quiet it, but by then it was too late, as the entire floor cheered for the red girl. Lotah turned to look down at them, exhaustion carved into every line of her body, and smiled. She straightened up and waved at the crowd. There was an even louder cheer than before, which didn't die down until Lotah had disappeared from sight.  
  
As Lotah approached the room where the organization had gathered, Melana saw the reason for the look of concern on Tian's face. Lotah's right arm was drenched in blood, and tied off by a sloppy bandage. She also had a series of small cuts all over her body, and Melana thought she saw some black and blue bruises. Lotah looked as if she'd fought the entire rebellion herself, both on the land and in space.  
  
"We need a medic here!" Tian shouted as he escorted Lotah into the room and propelled her towards a chair. She sat down and winced.   
  
"I'll be fine," she said as an orange, not of Dowla's group, bent to look at her injuries. "What's going on?"   
  
Immediately all of the leaders gathered around Lotah and began giving her precise reports. As a bigger picture began to come together, she started issuing orders to cut down on the chaos and increase efficiency. It was a simple enough task, and Lotah made all the same decisions that Melana would have. The only difference was with her the natives were willing, even eager to listen to her commands. Within a half-hour the bedlam downstairs had died down to a low roar. The injured who could be moved were being evacuated to their respective villages, and those too bad off to be moved that far were being moved to rooms in the hotel, which was relatively undamaged. The prisoners were moved to the jail, most of which was intact, and a bunch of greens and blues were sent to guard them.   
  
All this time, people had continued to stream in and ship out. The whites had ordered that all able-bodied return immediately to their villages - Lotah managed to alter that command enough so that the able-bodied could take the wounded back to the villages, or perform other chores before they were sent back permanently.   
  
No one seemed to notice the growing number of blacks, reds, blues, and greens. Already the whites, yellows and oranges who had been on board the cruiser had been replaced by Dowla's people - just a skeleton crew, enough to conduct some minor repairs and keep the cruiser from crashing into the atmosphere.  
  
At one point Tiros approached Melana. "We have a problem," he said bluntly. "And I didn't want to bother Lotah with it until we have something constructive to tell her." He glanced across the room to where Lotah was still surrounded by a throng of people. Tian seemed to have become her unofficial right hand, as he took half of the reports himself and consolidated them to tell Lotah. And the reports were still flowing in. The port was tiny, compared to any of the cities they'd visited on their way here, but it was still a decent-sized settlement, and the building-by-building search was taking hours. Lorb and Cahi were keeping track of the death count, which was still rising as more bodies were discovered, both native and stormtroopers.   
  
"What's the problem?" Melana asked wearily.   
  
"We managed to kick the Imps off this planet. A bunch of natives armed mostly with knives against the Imperial fleet, or what's left of it, anyway. The Imperial fleet I know is not going to stand for this, when they find out. They'll come and burn this planet to a crisp just to show the folly of going up against the Imperials. Not right away, mind you. We took both the cruiser and the on-surface communications tower before they managed to get off a distress call, so as far as their command is concerned, there's nothing wrong here. It may take them a few weeks or a few months, but sooner or later they're going to realize that they've lost this world, and then they're going to come. It's just a matter of time."  
  
Melana had a sudden image of what would happen if the Imperials did come back here in force, and wished she hadn't. "Do you have any ideas?" she, personally, was too tired to think.  
  
"I had one, but I don't know if it will work. I'll need your help, and Dowla's..."  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Lotah was intensely grateful that whatever the medic had used on her arm had also numbed the nerves, so she couldn't feel the pain. She couldn't feel anything, but that was all right. If only the medic could have done something similar for her head. All she wanted right now was for someone else to be the leader, to make decisions, and to listen to the lists of the dead. There were more than had been first apparent, and each one felt like a blow to Lotah.   
  
At least her family was safe. Jen and Sam had appeared not long after she did, with nothing worse than a few minor scrapes and bruises. And just a few minutes ago the rest of her brothers and sisters had arrived, including Wynn, which both surprised and worried Lotah. So far the girl, although vocal in her opposition to Dowla's plan, had done nothing to stop it. But all it would take was a single word to a white to give away the entire game. Jen had realized this, and not left Wynn's side since she arrived.   
  
Besides that, the little girl, Rialle, and Erpit were both all right. Lotah had found out when a messenger came running in, gasping about some crazy little red girl who'd somehow gotten her hands on a blaster and wouldn't let anyone touch it. Lotah hurried downstairs and relieved Rialle of the weapon. The little girl was dancing around in excitement, telling Lotah how she'd saved them. Somehow Erpit, who'd since been treated for his wounds, managed to find his way through the crowds to Rialle and explained what the little girl was talking about. They'd made it out of the town all right, but when they made it to the woods, they were set on by a pack of tynes, large reptiles that were known for attacking helpless prey. One of the two escorts had been killed immediately, but with Rialle's help, the remaining escort had managed to chase off the scavengers. "Rialle is quite a shot," Erpit said, patting the girl's shoulder. She grinned proudly.   
  
Lotah was glad to see that her friend and the girl were all right, and that she'd been justified in giving Rialle a weapon, but now she had another problem. Rialle was never going to be a proper red again after this, but her parents were probably not in Dowla's group. Lotah was not in the business of making orphans, but if she sent Rialle back to her village as she was now, she'd be killed in a matter of weeks. Lotah could see the angry glances of the oranges and greens around her already. She didn't know what to do, so she told Erpit to keep an eye on Rialle and keep her out of harm's way when the second rebellion occurred. Then she headed back up to the 'command center' to continue her work.  
  
An enormous amount of work was done that day, and they worked long into the night. Lotah didn't get to sleep until well past midnight, and then she fell into a sleep so deep that she couldn't be woken until dawn the next day. She awoke feeling little rested - her dreams had been nightmares of her killing everyone she knew. But that was a simple nightmare, not a vision, so she didn't let it bother her. I've never killed anyone before. This is a natural reaction. At least that's what Lotah kept telling herself.   
  
She didn't know whether or not anyone had found the body yet, and when she thought about it, she didn't really care. She had fully expected to be dead herself, so when her knife hit it's target and she stood there, unharmed, she had been a little surprised. Her aim had been good, and it took only a few seconds for the man to die. He cursed her, the new Republic, the Jedi, and everyone else he could think of in that short about of time. And then it was over. Lotah had spent all this time worrying over the pain she felt at hurting other people, thinking about what would happen if she killed someone someday, and it took less then a minute to end.   
  
She was still somewhat numb when she pulled her knife out of the man's chest and cleaned it off on the bottom of his shirt. He'd never even managed to get a shot off. Lotah removed the blaster from dead fingers, flipped it to stun, and stuck it in the back of her pants. The pain in her right arm brought her back to reality, and she spared only one more glance at the body - it seemed odd now that she hadn't even known his name when she killed him - before she headed back outside.   
  
Opening herself to the Force, she discovered that almost all the fighting was over. But not the aftereffects, Lotah discovered. She barely made it three steps before she stumbled over a body. At least, that's what she thought. Most of the right side of the chest was gone. It must have been sudden. He didn't even have a chance to draw his blaster, she thought, looking at the blaster still in it's holster. She thought she should feel something, some feeling of victory or triumph, now that they had won, but she was just numb. She was about to continue on when the body moaned.   
  
Lotah wasn't a superstitious person, but she muttered a blessing for wayward travelers before turning around. She knelt and up close, noticed what she hadn't before. He was still breathing.   
  
Despite all she'd seen and done, Lotah had to fight the urge to be sick. The shot had apparently missed his heart and one of his lungs, so although the wound was mortal, it was not immediately fatal. She wondered how long he'd been lying here, dying.   
  
Carefully, very carefully, she removed his helmet. It was an older man, with graying hair cropped short. His eyes were open, and they fixed on her. His lips moved, but only a few red bubbles came out. Lotah knew he had to be in terrible pain. She drew his unused blaster and pointed it at his head. "Do you want me to?" she asked, and bit her lip. What was she doing? He was the enemy! But his suffering wouldn't aid her cause in any way, and his side had already lost.   
  
He tried to speak, but less than a whisper came out. Lotah had been watching his lips, and tried to read them. "Chip?" she asked. "What chip?"  
  
Helmet, he mouthed. Lotah picked up the helmet. A quick search revealed a small chip attached to the base of the helmet, right where it would have touched the neck. She held it up. "This one?"  
  
He gave the barest of nods. "What is it?"  
  
Letter, he mouthed.  
  
"I'll see that it's delivered," she said as kindly as she could, considering the circumstances. He smiled, ever so slightly, and his eyes flicked to the blaster she still held. "Now?" she asked, and he nodded again. Lotah closed her eyes, turned her head away, and pulled the trigger. The body jerked and lay still.   
  
For a long moment Lotah just sat and stared at him. She'd had no personal quarrel with him, not like the man. Yet she still killed him. It was mercy, her conscience reminded her. It was murder. She refused to make excuses to herself. She had committed murder. She examined the chip she still held in her hand. Tiros would know what to do with it. She tucked it into her pocket and stood up. She opened herself to the Force, tried to concentrate on where the most people were, but all she could feel was pain all around her. Her newly found conscience wouldn't let her do nothing. Lotah concentrated on the nearest source of pain, and found it's source.   
  
It was another stormtrooper. He had a bad leg wound - it started at his hip and the black burn reached all the way to his knee. It looked like he had twisted just before he was shot, so instead of cutting him in half, the shot only hit his leg. Still, there was a large pool of blood underneath him - he'd die of blood loss unless someone did something. Lotah ran into the nearest house and ripped up some bed sheets. She'd have no more blood on her hands if it was preventable.   
  
The stormtrooper had long since lost consciousness, which made binding his leg easier. As she finished, he started to come around. He immediately let out a cry of terror and tried to crawl away from her, but she had a firm grip on his leg, and he let out a second cry, this one of pain. "Shut up and sit still," Lotah said firmly. If he didn't, he'd pull off the bandages she'd just made, and all of the work she'd gone to in order to keep him alive would be for nothing.  
  
"You... you speak Basic," he stammered.  
  
Lotah's hands were covered in blood. She stared at the stormtrooper thoughtfully, then pushed her hand against his chest. The blood left a red handprint on his chest plate. Among her people, when there were battles between villages, the lower classes were often loot. If, during a battle, a white or yellow wanted to claim a prize, they left a bloody handprint on the chest of the slave. It was just one more disgusting practice that Lotah wanted destroyed, but now it served her, for she had, in effect, just claimed this stormtrooper. She was sure that her claim would be denied, but for now no one would kill him, which was all she wanted.   
  
"Don't touch that," she told him. "It'll keep anyone else from killing you."  
  
He had started to bring his hand up to touch the mark, now he raised it to his head and removed the helmet. Despite herself, Lotah's eyebrows shot up. Here was yet another boy, only a few years older than herself. Does the Imperial Army consist only of old men and children? Terror was written across his face, but if he wasn't dying, Lotah didn't have time to comfort him. What did she think she was doing? What were they going to do with prisoners? She wouldn't allow them to be sold into slavery, and they couldn't just release them - what other options did they have? But she couldn't just stand by and let them die.  
  
"What are you doing?" he whispered, staring at the handprint as if it carried some curse.   
  
"I'm saving your life!" she snapped. She could feel other people's pain closing in on her. She tried to orient on the next person, but he tried to sit up and groaned.  
  
"Sit still, or the leg will start bleeding again!"  
  
"You... you bandaged my leg."  
  
"Would you prefer I cut it off?" Lotah asked, beginning to get really annoyed.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Lotah was so startled by the thanks that it snapped her out of her irritation. "What?"  
  
"Thank you for saving my life."  
  
"You're welcome," Lotah said, wondering if he'd thanked her too soon. She had no idea what would happen to him in a few days.  
  
All told, she rescued fourteen stormtroopers, and eight natives. She gave mercy to four other stormtroopers, and one native. Three stormtroopers attempted to attack her as soon as she tried to approach, so she left them. All three had wounds that would become fatal if not treated. Of the fourteen stormtroopers, six of them were under twenty-one, and four were over fifty. Lotah was more than a little sick at heart by the time she reached the hotel. And there they treated her like a hero, which made her feel even more dirty, but Lotah knew better than to protest. At that point, all she wanted was to close her eyes and never open them again, but they needed her. Not because of any real skill she had at leading, but because she was the only one everyone would listen to.   
  
So now she was here, about to start a second revolution. More blood on her hands. At least the stormtroopers were all right. Sometime yesterday someone had come in with reports of stormtroopers with the claim mark on them. Lotah hadn't said she had claimed them, but ordered them to be cared for and kept separate from the other prisoners. Few were happy with her decision, but no one was about to dispute her orders on so minor a matter.   
  
The search, which had gone on through the night, was finally finished, and all of the natives accounted for. The wounded, for the most part, had either stabilized or died during the night. Lorb, Cahi, and Tian had managed to get some of the medical facilities working again, including two bacta tanks, and that had saved a lot of lives.   
  
Suddenly the hall outside the main planning room fell silent, and everyone looked up, knowing that it had to be someone of very high rank in order to compel the silence of the whites and yellows outside. Sure enough, the leader of Dowla's former village came in, followed by the leader of Jen's former village. The former looked stunned at the sight of all of the whites and yellows who were obeying a red, while the latter ignored her entirely. They stood in the doorway for a full minute, obviously trying to figure out who was in charge, without it being Lotah. They failed, and finally walked across the room to her. By the time they reached her, everyone except Lotah and the offworlders were on their knees.   
  
"You did it," Grat said in their native tongue. Lotah was surprised that he gave her any credit at all. "The offworlders have been beaten. Now you will leave?" It was an attempt at a command.   
  
"All of the people shall return to their villages, and you will take the offworlders with you when you leave," the woman said, not looking at her. "We have already given the order, and the wounded have been evacuated."  
  
Lotah hoped that Dowla was ready even as she thought about how stupid these whites were, to think that her small group could possibly transport all of the prisoners off-planet. But she kept silent and nodded agreement. The more regular natives that had returned to their homes, the harder it would be for the whites to launch any kind of resistance to Dowla's claim of independence.   
  
The two whites spun and walked out, and most of the natives in the room followed them. A blue who had been acting as a messenger, and who was part of Dowla's rebellion, stayed. "What do we do now?" he asked.  
  
"Do you know where Dowla is?" He nodded. "Go tell him what's happened. If you see any of our people on your way, tell them to stay back as long as they can without being noticed. Dowla will tell you what else to do." As he left, Lotah noticed that Melana had also disappeared. The remaining natives filed out after the blue, and Lotah found herself alone. She sighed. When the whites, in all their wisdom, had decided to evacuate everyone now, they'd also left several projects unfinished. None of them was critical, but all of them needed to be finished. And now Lotah had been left with no help.   
  
She thought. The most important of the unfinished projects was an estimate on what they needed to keep the cruiser in orbit for the next several months. Lotah smiled tiredly. She wondered what the whites were planning to do with those who were up on the cruiser - or had they forgotten those people entirely?  
  
That, at least, was for the best. As long as they didn't remember the existence of the cruiser and those on board, they wouldn't think to use the cruiser as a weapon against the rebels.   
  
Lotah sat down and got to work. She had limited time before the whites noticed that something was wrong - she might as well get as much done now as possible. 


	20. XX

Two hours later, Lotah heard yelling outside. That's it... Lotah immediately set other matters aside and headed downstairs at a run. When she got down, Dowla was standing in the middle of the street, a blaster in his hand. Standing opposite him were the two white leaders, along with a few dozen of their advisors and families.   
  
"I've had messengers," the woman was saying. "There are blacks, reds, blues, even greens missing from all of villages. Why have they not done their duty? Where are they?"  
  
"They're here," Dowla replied evenly. He'd completely given up the habit of dropping to his knees when a white entered the room, and he looked a lot better for it.  
  
"Why haven't they returned to their villages?" the woman was livid.  
  
"Because we're tired of serving you all the time, of being given to the offworlders as if we were worth nothing," a red man, Grane, said, stepping out of an alley. He was followed by a dozen of the rebels, all carrying blasters.  
  
"What are you doing? All blasters were to have been returned! What is going on here?"  
  
"It's called a rebellion," Lotah said. She drew the blaster she'd kept hidden in her shirt.  
  
Jen stepped up next to her. Following him were another half dozen rebels, all young men and women, armed with blasters and knives. "We're not going back to the villages. We want to stay here, create a new village."   
  
There was a footfall beside her, and Lotah was surprised to see Wyn standing next to her. She carried no visible weapons, but she wasn't on her hands and knees, either.   
  
"Kill them," the woman said, her voice dripping with malice. All of her attendants tensed, then drew their weapons. Lotah prepared for another blood bath. The other natives had no chance against the rebels, not with the rebels armed with blasters.  
  
"Wait!" Grat shouted. He turned and spoke in a low voice to the Uripil.  
  
She was not that subtle. "They are a disease in our race! They should be killed!"  
  
"They have the offworlder's weapons. We will die if we fight." It seemed that he was a bit more of a realist than they'd thought. If it saved lives, Lotah was all for it.   
  
"They must be killed!"  
  
"Not for our lives! They're not worth it! They're jalps, we are Kerian. Leave them homeless, they will die on their own in a matter of weeks."  
  
The woman glared at him, then glanced at Wyn. "You! Your family is disgraced for a thousand generations!" she smiled with the face of someone who had just delivered a crushing blow. And maybe she had - who knew where Wyn's loyalties lay?  
  
Lotah glanced at the girl, worried. Before they had been afraid that she might give away the rebellion. Now the worry was of a purely personal nature. What sort of sister would I be if I destroyed my own sister's faith in herself? Lotah could sense Jen's tension, as well.  
  
But Wyn just smiled and drew a knife from her sleeve. Holding it out in front of her, in clear violation of the rules that bound reds, she proceeded to describe Uripil's ancestry in the crudest terms possible. Even Lotah was impressed by her vocabulary - a girl of her upbringing should never have learned that sort of language - Lotah herself had gained an interesting vocabulary early, because of her history, but a good red had no need for such terms. Wyn had always seemed to be a good red - or had she? Lotah found herself searching her memory, trying to figure out when Wyn had come to their side.  
  
When she finished, Uripil's face was more red than white, but Grat's hand on her arm restrained her. "Jalp abomination!" she spat, and turned away. "They are all cast out. Let no village harbor them from this day forward." Her eyes got wide as more of the lower class natives filed out of houses - mostly young men and women, although there were some middle-aged people there, and a few families with children. Lotah noticed Rialle and Erpit were conspicuously missing, and she thanked Erpit for his foresight. Now no one knew that the girl was among the rebels, and she was free to return to her village. All told several hundred rebels clogged the streets.  
  
All of the whites were too well trained to obedience to show any surprise. They turned their backs, and followed the two leaders out of the port city. Everyone was silent as they left, not trusting that the whites wouldn't try to come back and punish them. But the whites disappeared from view without turning, and the second rebellion ended without a drop of blood being spilled.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Lotah heard Dowla murmur, "I will post a guard tonight," but whatever else he might have said was lost as those around them let out a cheer of triumph. Lotah, Dowla, and three others were lifted high into the air, and several excited souls fired shots into the air.   
  
Lotah smiled broadly and tried not to wince as her bad arm was jogged. When they were finally lowered to the ground, Dowla raised his voice. "Why don't we all go into the offworlders' hotel? We have much to do to establish ourselves so that we may never be made slaves again!"  
  
Lotah saw some surprise at his choice of words, but no one argued as they headed inside. When they were all gathered inside, Dowla started giving directions, aided by suggestions from the crowd. But fifteen minutes into the meeting, Lotah was confused. They were building a new type of leadership, a new type of village, right? Surely they had more important things to discuss than fixing up some of the buildings, guarding the prisoners, planting crops, or gathering food from the forest?  
  
As everyone was filing out, Lotah saw Dowla headed for the old 'command center', and went after him, determined to ask him what he thought he was doing. She hadn't gone to all the trouble of freeing these people to have Dowla set himself up as their ruler. She had no doubt that he would probably be a leader in any case, but that had to be by mutual agreement, not because he chose it.   
  
On her way up the stairs Lotah noticed that a number of the natives - all of the leaders and a few dozen of the regular people - had not been given assignments. All of Lotah's family was among that group, as was Erpit and Rialle. She had to figure out what she was going to do with that girl.   
  
When they got to the main room, she was surprised to see all of the offworlders were there. "What's going on?" Lotah had the distinct feeling that she was missing something, but didn't know what.   
  
"Wait for everyone to arrive," Dowla said, gesturing for her to take a position next to him at the front of the room. In a few minutes, everyone was gathered. "We have a problem," Dowla announced to the small group. "Tiros and Melana warned me about it," he gestured to them, and Lotah saw some uneasy faces at the mention of the offworlders. "Yesterday we succeeded in taking control of our planet. All of the offworlders are either dead or our prisoners, and we have the ship in our possession, as well. But those who took our planet have many more ships, and when they find out what we've done, they will return to punish us. We won't be able to protect ourselves then." A murmur ran through the crowd. "I've asked you all to stay because you are most familiar with offworlders, their ways, and what they are capable of. You will be able to understand what we propose and give your advice, your opinions."  
  
He glanced at Tiros, then continued. "In space, there are many other worlds. Most of these choose to align themselves with a government that spans hundreds of worlds. Currently there are two major governments - one of these is the one that took our planet from us, and the other opposes the first. To planets who join them, they offer trading, technology, and protection." He let the impact of his words sink in. "Planets who join that government are allowed to govern themselves, provided they allow traders from other planets to come, and that we don't trade with their enemies. I am proposing that we attempt to join that government." There was clearly a lot of unease at that statement. "We can learn much from other worlds, and we will be able to remain free. Our planet has no central government to vote to join the New Republic, as that large government is called, but we are currently in possession of the only transmitter capable of reaching off-planet, so if we choose to bring the offworlders here, no one will argue our governing of the planet." Lotah smiled as she saw what was coming. The whites had kicked them out, and in a way, and therefore surrendered the port to them. They would have nothing to do with either the rebels or the offworlders, so had forfeited their right to participate in any off-planet negotiations. "If we join, the New Republic will protect us from our enemies until we can protect ourselves."  
  
"I won't be a servant again," Wit said.  
  
"That's not the way this works. It's a trade - protection for trading rights. We'll be working for ourselves. What we choose to do with ourselves is our own business, provided that we don't break their laws."  
  
"And what are their laws?" Erpit asked.  
  
"All planets govern themselves - the New Republic's laws apply only to interstellar negotiations, so the only laws that concern us are about the treatment of traders and visitors. Other than that we will be free to rule ourselves." There was silence. "I asked for you because you understand the offworlders better than anyone else. You must realize that when the allies of those we've defeated find out what we've done, they will come back to destroy us. Now we have to decide what to do."  
  
"How will we decide?" one of the greens asked.  
  
"A vote."   
  
Another murmur ran through the crowd, and Rialle asked, "What's a vote?"  
  
"A vote's when we ask all of our people here what they say, and we count how many say yes, and how many say no," Lotah explained. "If there are more people who say yes, we do that, and if there are more people who say no, then we do that. It's called democracy."  
  
"But who decides?" Rialle asked, frowning.   
  
"Everyone decides, that's the point," Erpit told her.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Dowla had remained silent during the aside, now he raised his voice again. "We have to make this decision immediately, because we don't know when the offworlders will come back. Does anyone have any more questions?" Lotah saw a bunch of uneasy faces but no one said anything. "Does anyone have a problem with taking a vote to decide?" Lotah saw most shake their heads no. This was why they'd left their villages, so that they could have a say in the way they ran their own lives.   
  
"All right. Everyone who wants to try to join the New Republic, raise your hands now." Lotah raised her own hand, and looked around. A good number of the natives had raised their hands, including all of Lotah's family, Erpit, Wit, and Rialle, but there were quite a few who hadn't. "Anyone who does not want to join, raise your hands now." A bunch of hands went up, but Lotah breathed a sigh of relief. Even without counting it was obvious that her side had won. Dowla finished counting. "The vote is twenty-eight to seven. We will try to join." He glanced at Lotah, who smiled. The first vote, possibly ever, had occurred on their world.   
  
Those who had voted no didn't look happy, but they did look satisfied that they'd had their say, and that the vote had worked as promised. It was a beginning.  
  
"We have to have another vote, to decide who will speak for our planet - not a leader, not yet, but for now, someone to talk to the offworlders."  
  
"You should, Dowla," someone said. Lotah personally agreed. Except for her, he had been 'free' the longest, and was fluent in Basic. She was more familiar with the galaxy than he was, but less familiar with her own people, which made her less qualified to speak for them.   
  
She was very pleased when Dowla said, "Thank you, but we have to have another vote. Who else might speak?"  
  
Not surprisingly, Lotah and Wit were two of the three others nominated, but she suspected that the other two were as relieved as she was when Dowla was chosen. After that was done, all of the voters except for Lotah filed out, leaving just her, the offworlders, and Dowla.   
  
"You set this up," she accused Tiros, who was looking rather pleased with himself.   
  
"I've got the com set up in the other room," he said, inclining his head towards Dowla.  
  
"I would appreciate it if you would be there," Dowla replied, looking worried. "I don't know much about this New Republic of yours." Tiros nodded and followed Dowla into an adjoining room.  
  
Lotah turned to Melana, who said, "Yesterday Tiros realized that we had to expect that the Imps would come back. Aside from hiring a merchant fleet to protect us, there was no way we could independently raise enough ships to protect ourselves in time, and we don't have enough resources to hire a merchant fleet."  
  
Lorb spoke up. "The id will probably be very valuable, but we couldn't possibly collect enough of it and create a market in time to save this planet."  
  
A shadow passed over Melana's face at the mention of the poison that had killed her mother, but she didn't mention it. "So Tiros made the suggestion about the New Republic. We spoke to Dowla, and a few others, and decided it was the only way to protect this planet."  
  
"But Dowla insisted on having a vote," Lorb said. "Said it was the only way this could be decided. Democracy's the least efficient way to get anything done."  
  
Tiros came back out of the other room. "We have a problem, people. We got through, but there's all sorts of procedure and regulation involved with a planet applying for membership. It might take weeks to clear up the red tape so that we can talk to someone who can actually get something done. I know there's some sort of emergency clause to speed things up, but I don't know enough about the new government. All I know about is the Empire. Dowla's working on that now, but I doubt he'll be able to find anything from here. What we really need is an expert on their government, which we don't have."  
  
Lotah's heart sank. In weeks the Imps would be back, and they'd destroy the entire planet. Everything they'd fought for, died for, would be destroyed. "Then we'd better get ready to try to evacuate some of the people, at least, and warn the villages. Maybe some can be saved." Her head was spinning as she realized how badly they'd planned this thing. She'd been worried about the deaths that had occurred during the rebellion. She was about to have the blood of an entire planet on her hands. She felt like sitting down and crying, or dying, but she forced her mind to continue, the same way she had when she'd first escaped and thought she'd die from her wounds.  
  
"Wait a minute," Tian said. "Maybe we do have an expert. Melana, you're training to be a Jedi under Luke Skywalker, right?" Melana nodded. "Luke Skywalker is the sister of Leia Organa Solo, the President of the New Republic. Could he do anything to help us?"  
  
Lotah felt a chill as she thought of speaking to anyone who knew as much about the Force as a Jedi Master, but she knew that was just a habit, not because of any real reason. And anything, even coming out of hiding, was better than living with the knowledge that she had caused the death of her entire planet. "It's worth a try," she said, surprising everyone, including herself.  
  
"Dowla, you should be there," Melana said, heading for the other room. As the door closed behind them, Lotah tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
They were gone for almost a half-hour, and the waiting was almost unbearable. Finally they came back out. Melana's expression was unreadable, as always. "Well?" Lotah asked.  
  
"He has agreed to speak on our behalf," Dowla said. He still didn't look happy, putting their fates in the hands of an offworlder, but he wasn't stupid. "He, and a group of New Republic officials, are on their way here. They'll be here in six days."  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
The waiting was difficult, to say the least. Melana, Lotah, Tiros, Tian, and Lorb all took turns going up to the cruiser to get it as close to operational as possible. There were also teams of experienced natives, willing and able to man the sensors and guns of the huge ship. A constant watch was kept on the edge of the system, on all edges of the system. There was no sign that anyone had noticed their rebellion, but it was still tense.   
  
On the second day, there was an alarm raised. Not from the cruiser, which was, of course, everyone's first thought. (By then word of what was happening had circulated throughout the port.) The alarm came from one of the patrols who was walking along the edge of the port, watching the forests for any sign that the whites would try to retaliate. Lotah and Dowla were among the first to get to the perimeter, ready to protect themselves against attack.  
  
But there was no attack. A single orange came across the fields, carrying a bag and a blaster. Lotah aimed a blaster of her own, it's charge set on stun. "Stop right there," she ordered. The orange froze, then straightened up, her face assuming the 'superior' look that Lotah was all too familiar with. "What do you want?"  
  
The orange glanced at her, then at the blaster, then she looked at her own blaster. Suddenly she threw the blaster towards Lotah, and held up her hands. "I... I want to speak with the red," she stuttered, looking around at all the heavily armed reds, blues, and greens. "The one they call Lotah. The yellow-rank." There was something very odd about her - she was uncomfortable for reasons beyond the sight of armed lower classes. Lotah picked up the orange's weapon, then jerked her head towards the port. "Follow me." She glanced at Dowla. "I'll take care of this," she murmured to him.   
  
The crowd that had come in response to the alarm began to break up as Lotah led the orange back into the port. The orange was getting a lot of angry glares, though, and she looked around nervously as she followed Lotah.   
  
Lotah only took her inside the very edges of the port, to the first undamaged building she found. She led the woman inside - it was a parts shop - and closed the door behind her. The woman looked around expectantly, and Lotah set the blasters on a counter. Hiding a knife in her hand, Lotah crossed her arms across her chest. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.   
  
The woman spun, eyes wide open. "You!" she exclaimed. "You're Lotah?" she started to drop to her knees.   
  
"Stop that. We don't bow to each other, here."   
  
The woman uncertainly got to her feet, staring at Lotah. "I'd heard that you were young, that you returned from space..."  
  
"What do you want?" Lotah repeated. She'd heard enough of this stuff to last for a lifetime. Two lifetimes.   
  
"I... ah... I..." the woman looked all around the room, anywhere but at Lotah. "I... I heard that you... all of you... you said you were going to make a village where there were no colors, where no one had to do any one job."  
  
"That's pretty close."  
  
"It... it's a village where it doesn't matter what color you are, no one can order you around. Is that true?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So it doesn't matter what color you are? Not even if you're an orange?"  
  
Lotah started to say yes again, but the impact of the woman's words hit her. "An orange?"  
  
The woman swallowed, and nodded. "An orange."  
  
Lotah looked at her more carefully. "What's your name?"  
  
"Telnara."  
  
"Oranges are one of the privileged classes. Not as high as yellows or whites, but still privileged. Why do you want to join us?"  
  
"I... I was up on the cruiser, as a messenger. We were having problems, there was more resistance than we'd anticipated, and I overheard the whites." She said this quickly, as if she was ashamed of it. Which she probably was - lower classes weren't supposed to listen in on the conversations of their 'betters.' "They wanted to order the oranges on board to charge the offworlders, like we were a bunch of reds or blacks!" she suddenly seemed to realize who she was talking to. "Like... like we were... we were..."  
  
"Like you were nothing," Lotah finished. "Like your lives were worth nothing."  
  
The woman nodded, looking grateful that Lotah hadn't been insulted by her words. "I realized that, and, I just couldn't..." she trailed off. Lotah knew what the problem was. There were no words in their language to express what she had felt. "I... I thought that maybe... maybe if I was really faster than some of the whites, then maybe everything was different than I thought it was. And I got angry - more angry then I ever remember being. And then I got scared, because they would have killed me if they saw me. So I hid, and when they brought me down I was going to go look for you, but then I heard about this place. So I came. To see if I was right."  
  
"Telnara, here things are very different. You're an orange, and you'll be the only orange here. Everyone used to be of a lower class than you."  
  
"Used to be?"  
  
"You heard that we don't care about color here, and we meant it. When I say they used to be of a lower class, it's because we have no classes here. From the moment you enter our village, you have no class, either. You decide what you want to do, you help the community, but no one forces you to do anything. If you learn to do things that were only open to whites, that's wonderful, but if you are only able to do a black's task, then no one will help you. You're used to people who look like us obeying your every command, and that isn't going to happen here. If you stay, you're equal to everyone else, blacks, reds, greens and blues. I meant it when I said we don't bow around here." Some of that hadn't come out right, because as far as Lotah was concerned, there was no such thing as a 'black's task', but there had to be some frame of reference for Telnara to understand.   
  
"I won't have to bow to anyone?"  
  
"And no one will bow to you. Around here, we don't call each other Master, either. We use names, and blacks and reds talk just as much, and are heard just as much as blues and greens."  
  
Telnara nodded slowly. "I... I think I would like to join your village."  
  
"There's another thing. You'll be the only orange. Many of the people here won't trust you, at first, and if you ever want to get married, you'll have to do it with another color, unless some other oranges join us. Can you deal with that?"  
  
"But I don't have to get married?" Lotah saw that some of Telnara's prejudices would be long in removing, but the fact that she wanted to try was encouraging. And Lotah could feel that this wasn't some sort of a trick.  
  
"Not if you don't want to."  
  
"Then I would like to join your village, if you will have me."  
  
Lotah nodded, and handed Telnara back her blaster. "Come with me."  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked as she followed Lotah outside.  
  
"To talk with Dowla and the Council." As Lotah had predicted, when all of the new rebels had gotten together to discuss how they would govern themselves, Dowla was chosen as a leader, and six others had been chosen as advisors. The leader could be removed by act of the advisors, and the advisors were picked by the people. They'd also come up with a general set of rules that they all agreed to live by. It was a very rough sort of government, and there'd be a lot of misunderstandings and arguments until some other things were decided, but it was a good start. Wit was on the Council, and Lotah, although she had declined to join the Council, was as respected as Dolwa and had a good deal of influence.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Our leaders. We chose them yesterday." This would be an interesting test of how this new government would work. They'd never had to make an actual decision before.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Everyone."  
  
"Everyone decided? How?"  
  
"A vote."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"It's when we ask everyone's opinion on something, and everyone decides what to do."  
  
"Everyone?"  
  
"Everyone," Lotah said firmly.  
  
They walked silently for a minute, then Telnara said, "I think I know of some other oranges who might join us, if asked."  
  
"That's up to the Council." Lotah had no problems with either Telnara or any other orange, as long as they didn't try to make themselves the leaders, but she didn't know how the others would feel.   
  
The hotel had been made a permanent town council, and most of the rooms had been fixed and now had occupants, families, couples, and singles living in them until more of the city could be rebuilt. The stormtrooper prisoners were living here as well. Upon questioning them, they'd discovered that nearly a third of the prisoners had been drafted into the Imperial Navy, kidnapped out of their homes. Those, after they were questioned by either Lotah or Melana, were given tasks helping out the natives. They were watched very closely, but so far none of them had tried anything, and it was better than being locked up all the time, which was the fate of the other prisoners. They'd been locked in the old prison, and several of the bigger blues and greens had volunteered to guard them until someone could figure out what to do with them.   
  
"In here," Lotah said when they reached the hotel.  
  
"You're living in the off-worlder's homes?"  
  
"Well, we need a place to stay, and they're not using it any more." Lotah led the way up the stairs to the main room, and knocked on the wall next to the door.  
  
"Come in," Dowla called from inside. Lotah opened the door, and he started talking again, "Oh, Lotah. We were just about to call you. There's going to be a serious problem with the food supply..." he broke off as he saw Telnara. "What does she want?"  
  
"She wants to become part of our village."  
  
"An orange?" Dowla said incredulously.  
  
As quickly and succinctly as she could, Lotah repeated all of the Telnara's request, and her reasons for it. Even so, long before she finished, Lotah could see the wheels turning in Dowla's mind.   
  
"You know this will be hard for you," he said when she concluded.  
  
"She... Lotah told me this too. It would be no harder than working for the yellows and whites. I want to stay, if you'll let me."  
  
Lotah knew, as she was sure the others did, that if they denied her, Telnara was as good as dead. Unless she had the skill and luck to establish herself, alone, in the forests, she'd be dead. No other village would ever allow her to be part of it again, not after she'd run off to come here. Very few people survived long by themselves here, even whites and yellows. She'd have a better shot than a red would have, but there were a lot of dangers here. Chances were she'd be dead within a month or two.  
  
"We need to talk," Dowla said firmly, and Lotah escorted Telnara into a nearby room. They waited in silence for over ten minutes, Lotah sitting on the floor, and Telnara pacing back and forth. Finally Dowla called them back. "You may stay, but you will be watched. If you ever try to order one of us, or take control of us again, you will be cast out immediately. Do you understand?" That was a phrase usually said to reds and blacks by one of the higher classes, and Lotah saw Telnara struggle with the indignity of having a blue say that to her.  
  
But her desire to stay won out over her training, and she nodded. Dowla had been watching her intently, and now he also nodded. Apparently she had passed some sort of test. "Lotah, would you please give her a room and show her around? Then we need help clearing the north field. You said you were a runner?" Telnara nodded. "Would you mind carrying seed from the storehouse to the field for a while? Many of our people have injuries that prevent them from moving too fast. And if you stay, we'd like to know what you know about building homes and hunting. Very few of us know much about that."   
  
Telnara nodded, and turned to go. But she hesitated, then turned back. "May I speak?" she asked timidly.  
  
"You don't have to ask our permission, not like that," Lotah said. "Only if you're going to interrupt someone." She and the other offworlders had been trying for months to explain proper courtesy as it was seen on other worlds. It was a difficult thing to explain, rules that supposedly governed everyone without being forced on anyone, and ones that treated everyone equally. The natives were so used to rules that governed every part of their lives, from when and where they could speak to who they married and how they could have children, that something as simple and small as regular communication could become very complicated in the new village.  
  
"I was wondering... if I knew of other oranges who feel as I do, as we do, may I go to them? Would you accept others?"  
  
Dowla and the others conferred for a moment. "Wait a few months. If you are still with us then, you can go for others."   
  
As Lotah went to find a room for Telnara to stay in, she wondered if the orange would feel a lot of hostility here, if she'd be able to survive. They'd meant it when they said that the port was now a village of equals, but it could very easily become a village of reversed classes, where the lower classes ruled, and the upper classes were the servants. She promised herself she'd speak to Dowla about this later. 


	21. XXI

On the fourth day, Lotah, Tian, Erpit, and his new wife all traveled to a distant village to return Rialle to her parents. Cahi carried them most of the way, until they were within a few klicks of the village, before she had to put them down outside the edge of the forest. For those last few klicks, they traveled by stealth, trying not to attract the attention of any hunters or other foraging parties. They had a few close calls, but Lotah always sensed the danger in time.  
  
It took them several hours to find Rialle's parents among the foraging reds. When they did find them, it was another half-hour before her parents were far enough from the other reds that they wouldn't attract attention. Erpit let go of Rialle's hand, and the little girl ran up to her parents, crying, "Mommy!" Lotah felt a stab of regret for what she would never have.   
  
"Rialle?!" the woman dropped her bag to the ground and rushed to embrace the little girl. "How... We thought we'd never see you again? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Lotah rescued me from the offworlder," Rialle announced proudly. Lotah stared at her, noting the proud, confident way she held her head. Not at all proper for a red. Lotah's regret was replaced by fear that they wouldn't be able to convince her parents to let her go, because if they didn't the girl would certainly be killed.   
  
"What? Who?" the man said, looking around. Lotah stepped out of the woods. The knives she wore at her belt were clearly visible.   
  
"You!" the man gasped, drawing his daughter closer. "I've heard of you, the red who pretends to be a white. And the abominations in the offworlder's village. All of you have been banished." He was breaking rules just talking to her, and apparently he knew it, too.  
  
Pretending to be a white? Well, that's an improvement. Thought I was only pretending to be a yellow. Lotah inclined her head. "I know, but they do not know Riana was with us. She can return to your village."   
  
"But how?" the woman asked again.   
  
"The offworlders have been driven off the planet. In the fighting I encountered the man who was trying to take Rialle with him, and I freed her. She was very brave, and even helped me."  
  
"My Rialle?" the woman asked, amazed.  
  
"I had a blaster, Mommy!" Rialle said excitedly. "I shot a tyne!"  
  
"You what?" The man's face had turned very red. "You couldn't have!" This was what Lotah had been afraid of, knowing that her parents were not members of Dowla's group.  
  
"I did! Lotah gave me a blaster, and I saved Erpie and some of the others." Her face fell. "But they took it away."  
  
The man looked at Lotah, menace in his expression. "You did this to her. It was her duty to go with the offworlder. She's ruined, now. The whites will kill her. They have to, she's an abomination, just like you."  
  
Lotah felt another stab of pain. This was how her own parents thought about her. But Erpit felt something different. "How dare you!" he said, lips tight with anger. On seeing a blue, Rialle's father automatically dropped to his knees, then almost as quickly, jumped to his feet as he remembered that they'd all been cast out. "How dare you do that to your daughter! She has been through a horrible experience, and her bravery saved many lives. She saved my life! She thought she'd never see you again, couldn't wait to see you, and this is how you greet her!" he was absolutely furious. Lotah had never seen him like this.   
  
She got control of herself. "You may not appreciate what your daughter has done, but we do. And we won't let you kill her."  
  
"I am not killing her," he said with certainty. "You are the ones who have killed her. She is already dead to us."  
  
"Daddy?" Rialle asked, tears brimming. She turned in her mother's arms and raised her hands to her father. "Don't you love me?"  
  
For a second it seemed as if he might change his mind about reporting their presence. He looked down at his daughter. "Of course I love you, Rialle. But this is about what is decent. These people are trying to destroy us, and they cannot be allowed to infect our village." Rialle burst into tears. "Come on, Diana, we must tell the whites that there are intruders in our forest." He patted his wife's head, then turned back towards the village, still carrying his load of roots.  
  
"No, Bran," the woman said calmly, standing up. She still held Rialle's hand. "You can't do this. This is our daughter. Our only daughter. Rialle. You can't tell the whites, they'll kill her."  
  
"But look what they have done to her!"  
  
"They brought her back to us!"  
  
Bran stared at her for a long minute, and for a second looked as though he would cry or scream. Then that mask of mindless happiness returned, the one that so pleased the whites, to have their slaves look happy. "There are more infected here than I first thought. Diana, bring Rialle back to the village now. Take her to our home, while I tell the whites what has happened. They will do what is necessary."  
  
Lotah couldn't believe this. He was proclaiming a death sentence on his own family.  
  
"I... I'm not coming, Bran. Husband, I love you dearly, but if you go to the whites, you do it alone."  
  
"What would you do? They will cast you out, even if you are not there. You would take Rialle to die in the woods? At least here it will be quick and painless. Come with me now. There is nothing else you can do."  
  
Diana stood silently for a minute, clearly struggling within herself. Finally she turned desperate eyes on Lotah. "You said that you appreciate what Rialle has done, and that you would not let her be killed. Will you protect her now? Take her back with you?"  
  
Lotah tried to imagine what her own parents might have done if she had been returned to them in such a manner. "What will you do?"  
  
"I... I will go to the forest. I don't want to see any of them again." She looked terrified, and with good reason. Before Lotah, no red had ever learned to fight or defend themselves. She was young, despite having a child Rialle's age, the woman was only twenty-four or twenty-five. She must have been Lotah's age when she had Rialle. All she knew of the forest was what to pick to make food and other resources, and that to go deep into the forest was to die.   
  
Lotah glanced at Erpit, who nodded slightly. "You can come with us too, if you want."  
  
"You would accept me, after what I have done?" she shot a guilty glance at Bran, who still stood watching, frozen in shock. "I will be cast out."  
  
"We've all been cast out," Lotah pointed out. "Everyone in our village has been cast out of another village."  
  
"What will become of Rialle?" Diana asked. "Will she still be raised as a blue?"  
  
"We don't have classes in our village. Rialle will be able to do whatever she wants. But you will both be expected to work."  
  
"I have worked. Every day of my life," Diana said, with an angry glance towards the village. "I thought I would die, never having seen my daughter again. I will come with you."  
  
"No!" Bran shouted. "You must not!"  
  
"The ship's only a few klicks from here," Tian said in Basic. He was beginning to get a hang of Lotah's native tongue, although he still couldn't speak it, and must have caught some of what had happened. "We'd better get going, before he calls the warriors."   
  
Lotah nodded in response to his comment, and nodded towards the woods. "Let's go." She looked at Bran, and the gesture broke his paralysis. He suddenly ran back towards the village, yelling that there were intruders in the forest, evil abominations.   
  
Rialle was close to tears again, and Lotah tried to herd them away as quickly as possible. But Diana was terrified of the forest, even with the others around, and Rialle was crying piteously. The going was slow. When Lotah's hyperalert senses heard sounds of pursuit, she gestured for Erpit and his wife to take the pair on ahead. Tian, understanding her intentions, hung back, drawing his blaster.   
  
Lotah still didn't carry a blaster, but she wasn't afraid of killing someone anymore. Not if she was defending innocents, like Rialle and her young mother. "How far is the ship?" she whispered.   
  
"About a half a klick," Tian responded in a whisper.   
  
They could run that far in a minute or two, and even at the slow pace, the other group would reach the ship in under ten minutes. They only had to hold off pursuit for about five minutes, and they might be able to stall them for that long. Lotah drew a knife and stood in the center of the narrow path, where everyone could see her. A few seconds later a group of one white and three yellows came running down the narrow path that they'd left. They skidded to a stop at the sight of her.  
  
"It's a red," one of them murmured.  
  
"It can't be - it's carrying weapons."  
  
The white stared at her, realization dawning. "You are the pretender," he declared uncertainly, very upset by the sight of a red carrying weapons. "The red who pretends to be a white."  
  
Lotah didn't answer for a full minute, stalling for time. Four more minutes. "So I've been told," she finally said. "What do you want?"  
  
"Bran!" one of the yellows snapped, and Bran came running up. He immediately fell to his knees at the feet of the yellow, bowing his head. "Is this the one?"  
  
"Yes, master. She has contaminated my wife and child."  
  
Suddenly Lotah hated this man more than anyone else in her entire life - more than the woman, more than the Imps, even more than the man who'd tried to turn her. And she hated the traditions and the people who had created him and twisted his mind to the point that he'd condemn his own wife and child to death for wanting to be together. She could kill him, the thought suddenly occurred to her. She could kill him, a simple shove with her mind and his neck would snap, and he would be dead. It would be so easy.  
  
Lotah shuddered, and brought her anger under control, the same way she'd controlled her fear for so long. She wasn't a killer. It was one thing to kill in defense of another, but this man's death would accomplish nothing. She didn't even hate him that much - what in the galaxy had she been thinking?  
  
The Dark Side, she heard Melana telling her. But I killed him! she thought, remembering standing over his body. Then she had another revelation - the man might have been trying to speed her along towards the Dark Side, but she could certainly make the trip on her own. She trembled again. Maybe Melana would know what to do. She'd never felt anger like that before - unreasoning hate. Even now she could feel the anger lurking beneath the surface of her consciousness - it would rise again, and maybe next time she wouldn't be able to control it. Melana had to know what to do.  
  
"Where are the reds?" the white asked.  
  
"They're coming with us. They are no longer your concern." Lotah tried to get control of herself again. She needed to stall these people for two more minutes. Then she could go back to the port, talk to Melana, stop herself from turning into a monster.   
  
"They do not belong to you," the white said uneasily. He probably had orders to cast out the pair, but there was no precedent for them casting themselves out.  
  
"They don't belong to you, either. You have cast them out, remember?" Lotah asked, taking a gamble that they'd already cast the pair out, and were just here to enforce that order.  
  
The gamble paid off. "But we must..." the white trailed off. "You are intruders in our forest. We must drive you away."  
  
"We're leaving right now," Lotah said as smoothly as she could. "So you don't need to drive us away."  
  
"You're abominations," the white said slowly. "Maybe we should just kill you." He still seemed very uncertain, but that, apparently, was enough for the yellows, who all drew their knives. Lotah crouched slightly, ready to defend herself.   
  
A blaster bolt hit the ground directly in front of the nearest yellow. They all froze. "Stay back," Tian warned in clumsy native. "Stay back or you be dead."  
  
"An offworlder!" a yellow gasped, backing up.   
  
"All of the offworlders are gone," the white said, as if willing it to be true.  
  
"Tell them if they follow us, I'll shoot them," Tian told Lotah. She was glad enough of any sort of delay in the fighting that she didn't mind acting as Tian's interpreter. She'd seen enough fighting to last more than a lifetime.  
  
When she translated his words, the yellows backed up some more, and this time the white took a step back as well. Lotah reached out, and 'saw' that the other group was less than a minute from the ship. She touched Tian's arm, the one not holding the blaster. "Come on," she said in Basic. "Lets get to the ship now."  
  
Tian glanced at her, nodded, then glared once more at the terrified natives. They took another step back, and the pair turned and ran. This time there were no signs of pursuit.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"Lotah, what's wrong?" Tian asked as they flew back to the town. As soon as they'd made it on board, Lotah had retreated from the main room to the bunk, saying that she was tired. Erpit and Sanyit were too busy explaining things to Diana to notice, but he had, and had followed her into the bunk.  
  
"What are you talking about?" she asked in an emotionless tone, which told him even more. If she sounded like that, it meant that something was definitely wrong. The more upset she was, generally, the less she talked about it.  
  
"Oh, no. Don't you dare try that with me. I know you too well. Something's very wrong, and it happened back when we were facing those men. What is it?"  
  
Lotah looked at him, obviously debating whether or not to tell him the truth. He felt like screaming in frustration. He thought that she'd wanted to talk to him when she asked him to come along on this trip, and had even asked to talk to him privately on the way back. But something had changed while they were out of the ship, and now she was withdrawing into that damned shell of hers, where she wouldn't tell him anything.   
  
Lotah hugged her knees to her chest and stared at her feet. Tian sighed, expecting her to send him away. Well, this time he wouldn't listen to her - this time he'd get her to open up if it killed both of them.   
  
"It's the Dark Side," she whispered.   
  
"What?" he asked, startled.  
  
"It's the Dark Side of the Force," she repeated, even more quietly.  
  
Tian tried to remember what Melana had told him about the strange things she and Lotah sensed. "Melana said that the Emperor and Darth Vader used the Dark Side of the Force." It couldn't be the same thing - those two had been some of the most horrible killers of all time, and Lotah risked her own life to save others - it couldn't be the same.  
  
"I didn't know that. I guess it makes sense."  
  
"It can't be the same thing."  
  
"It is. I could feel it."  
  
"Feel what?"  
  
"I wanted to kill him."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Bran. Rialle's father. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill him so badly that I could practically feel his bones snapping."  
  
"I wanted to kill him, too, when he was going to turn Rialle in. That doesn't make you a monster."  
  
"You don't understand."  
  
Tian bit back his first response, which was to snap at her. Instead, he took a few deep breaths, the way his father always was trying to get him to, and said, "You're right, I don't understand. Explain it to me."  
  
She was silent for another minute, then said, "It's like... it's like this lust for blood, almost. It would make me to terrible things. I could end up destroying everyone I... everyone I care about." She paused, sounding miserable. "Including you."  
  
Tian forced himself not to react, although his heart beat wildly in his chest. "You couldn't do that."  
  
"Yes, I could. I can feel it. The Imps chased me for a year because they knew it, too. They knew that I could do it, and they wanted me to. But I'm afraid I'll still become what they wanted, even without their help."  
  
Tian tried to quell the fear he felt at this subject. Surely she couldn't become a murdering psychopath, like what the Empire wanted. "Have you talked to Melana about this?"  
  
"Not yet. It only started in the last few days. After I killed the man."  
  
"Will you talk to her?"  
  
"As soon as we get back. But..." she turned to look at him. "But I'm... I... I'm... scared that there won't be anything she can do. That I'm just a killer at heart, and it just took a long time for it to come to the surface."  
  
"I'm sure that's not true."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
Tian searched his mind for something to say to her that would make her feel better, but came up blank. Instead, he reached out and took her hand and squeezed it gently, trying to give her some support that way. She usually held his hand for a few minutes, then pulled away. Not this time - she kept holding his hand, squeezing it occasionally, as if to remind herself that it was there. After several minutes, he took his other hand and gently pulled her into an awkward embrace. For the first time he could remember, she didn't stiffen at his touch. She just hugged him back.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Melana was helping to rebuild the wall of a house with a family when Cahi returned. Melana was surprised when not only Rialle, but another woman came out of the ship. "What happened?" she asked Erpit.   
  
"Rialle's father tried to turn her in to the whites as an abomination," he reported, making no effort to hide his anger. "When her mother objected, he decided to report her, too. So she came with us. I'm going to go introduce her to Dowla, and see where we have room for her." Despite their original belief that their village would have no new members from the outside for years to come, they kept picking up new followers. Melana wondered idly how many who might follow Dowla were still in the villages because they had no way of knowing about the port, because they were too far away. Melana decided to mention the idea to Dowla or Lotah - maybe, sometime in the future, when things weren't so hectic, they could get a group together to march around the planet and see if there were others out there.  
  
A smile danced across her lips when Tian and Lotah came out of the ship, hand-in-hand. It seemed that Lotah had finally let him in, a little. It had been inevitable. Her smile broadened as she realized that Tiros had lost a bet he made with Lorb, about how long Lotah would keep herself apart.   
  
The smile died as they came near enough for her to sense their emotions. Something had terrified Lotah, and Tian was very uneasy. As they approached her, Lotah dropped Tian's hand, and her face became a mask, which meant that she was controlling her emotions and it was taking a lot of effort. "Melana," Lotah said in a blank voice, "I need to speak with you." She glanced at Tian. "Please?"  
  
Melana nodded. This job wasn't so critical that it couldn't wait till later. She glanced at the father of the small family, who nodded graciously. They were always exceedingly thankful for any help they received, on anything. "Where?"  
  
Lotah regained some of her composure. "The third bar - it's still in pretty good shape." It was an odd sort of irony that in the entire port, the bars - all five of them - had come through relatively unscathed.  
  
Melana led the way to the bar, then closed the door behind them for privacy. "What is it?"  
  
"It's the Dark Side, I can feel it," Lotah said suddenly.   
  
"The Dark Side?" Melana asked, hoping that Lotah was mistaken.   
  
"I can feel it inside of me. It's going to get me. You said... You didn't tell me much about it. Is it something you're born with, that you can't escape? Am I going to turn, no matter what?"  
  
"I don't know," Melana said helplessly. She hated feeling helpless. "Master Skywalker didn't tell us. I know he's lost some students to the Dark Side, but I left before I learned enough." Never before had she so regretted leaving before her training was over. She readily admitted that Lotah was stronger in the Force than she was, and had better control, too. It would make her all the more dangerous if she turned to the Dark Side. And Melana liked Lotah - she would have expected her to collapse or run away long before now, and like most of the natives, she would protect the girl, if she could.  
  
Lotah said nothing, and her expression didn't change, but she took Tian's hand again. And Tian certainly looked frightened enough. "Then I have to leave, as quickly as possible," Lotah said firmly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"If something happens, I don't want to be anywhere near here. I want to be as far away from my family and my planet as possible, so they won't get hurt."  
  
"I'll take you," Tian said immediately.  
  
"No!" she said loudly, showing emotion for the first time since she'd stepped out of the ship.   
  
"Why not?" he asked, obviously hurt.   
  
"I don't want anything to happen to you, either," she told him quietly.   
  
"Lotah, you can't leave yet," Melana said.  
  
"Why?" Lotah asked, calm again.   
  
"Master Skywalker will be here in two days. I can't help you, but he will be able to."  
  
A hint of fear passed over Lotah's face. "I..."   
  
"I know you've been hiding it a long time from the Imps, but he's not like the Imps," Tian said eagerly. Melana was surprised to have him as an ally in this discussion. "He destroyed the Death Star, and he wants to teach other people to be Jedi, too. Please, Lotah, talk to him." There was a hint of desperation in his voice, and Melana thought she knew why. He'd been trying to get Lotah to look at him, talk to him, for what seemed like a very long time. Now that she'd opened up to him a little, he didn't want her to leave.  
  
Lotah stared at Tian for a minute, then lowered her head and nodded. "I'll wait for him, but if he doesn't know what to do, I'm leaving immediately."  
  
"Where would you go?"  
  
"I don't know. Somewhere away from people. I know the space lanes, maybe I can get a job on a barge, or something. I don't know."  
  
"Maybe it won't come to that," Tian said hopefully.  
  
Melana knew Lotah didn't have much hope in Master Skywalker, but she didn't know him.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
The last two days before the representatives of the New Republic arrived alternately sped and crawled by for Lotah. Sometimes she thought she'd go mad waiting for it to arrive, and was terrified that something would happen to her before it arrived, although there had been no more problems. Other times she was even more terrified at the prospect of meeting a Jedi Master, and wanted nothing more than for time to stop so he'd never come.   
  
Whatever her preference, time continued at it's normal rate, and soon enough the people up on the cruiser sent down a message that several ships had entered the system. Less than a minute later the first message was followed by a second saying that the ships had identified themselves, and that they were diplomatic transport. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief - the chance that the Imps would arrive at exactly the same time that the New Republic was supposed to arrive was miniscule, but the possibility was not far from anyone's mind. As the ships passed through the atmosphere, fully half of the population of the port gathered outside the hanger to see the ships land, as most of them were from villages and had never so much as seen a ship, much less an off-worlder until the rebellion. Inside the hanger, they'd limited the crowd to the Council, Lotah, and the four off-worlders. Cahi was also parked inside, with an excellent view of the entire hanger. She was excited about seeing her friend, Artoo, again.  
  
Lotah wore an outwardly calm expression, but inside it was all she could do to keep from fleeing the hanger. Her lips were pressed tightly together and fists were clenched as the shuttle from the main ship and two fighter escorts flew in through the roof and landed less than twenty meters from them. The only good thing was that she wouldn't actually have to speak to anyone, she was mostly there because, as the only native with any experience off-planet, she ought to be.   
  
The door to the shuttle opened, and two guards carrying blasters marched out of ship, taking up positions at either side of the ramp. Then a woman in flowing white robes came walking out, flanked by a man carrying a young child and two older children, a boy and a girl, each about seven years old. The woman Lotah recognized to be Leia Organa Solo, the President of the New Republic. She'd been an important person in the Old Republic, then had helped head the Rebellion, and now she led the New Republic. The only thing Lotah noticed about her was how short she was, barely any taller than Lotah herself.   
  
Dowla knew her face, too, from holographs Cahi had found for them. He stepped forward and bowed slightly. "On behalf of our people, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our home."  
  
She nodded back, but her eyes traveled to one of the two escorts, to a man climbing out of one. He walked over, and held out a hand to Melana. "It's good to see you again, Melana."  
  
"Thank you for helping us, Master Skywalker," she replied with a hint of a smile. She shook his hand, then turned towards Lotah. "This is Lotah, the one I told you about."  
  
He turned pale blue eyes towards her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, as well." He held out his hand towards her, and she reluctantly shook it. A shiver ran up and down her spine at the power she sensed within him, but strangely enough, she felt no fear. All she felt from him was a feeling of immense peace and control, and it made her relax, a little. "I would like to speak with you later, if it is at all possible."  
  
Lotah nodded nervously.   
  
Dowla had watched the exchange with a slightly puzzled look on his face. He knew a little bit about Lotah's power, but obviously hadn't connected it to this encounter. "If you would like, we have more comfortable quarters for our discussion."  
  
President Solo nodded again, her eyes traveling around the hanger. They'd cleaned up most of the rubble and rebuilt it as quickly as they could, but the building still showed signs of the battle less than a standard week ago. "It looks as if there's been some trouble. Nothing serious, I hope?" The comment was obviously intended as a mere pleasantry, but it came at a bad time.   
  
Dowla was silent for several seconds, then said, in his native tongue, "Does she really want to know?"  
  
Lotah winced. "It's considered bad manners to speak in another language in front of guests," she murmured in Basic, and then, "Let's just get out of here." The sooner the crowd outside saw that these weren't offworlders like the Imps, like the slavers, the sooner they'd calm down. They'd broken the news to the population at large as quietly as they could, but there was still a lot of fear concerning the arrival of the offworlders.  
  
Dowla nodded, and made a half-bow again. "This way," he said, and led them out of the hanger. Outside, a silent staring (some of them were glaring) crowd waited. A murmur ran through them as the offworlders stepped into view, and several of the mothers clutched their children tightly to their chests. President Solo looked around. "I've had warmer welcomes," she remarked, glancing at Dowla.  
  
He didn't seem to realize that her words were a question, so Lotah answered, "Until a week ago the only offworlders they saw came to take them away as slaves. You're the first they've seen who were friendly."  
  
She shot Lotah a startled look. By then the three children had come into view, and an even louder murmur ran through the crowd. Lotah remembered that they'd never seen offworld children before, and wondered what effect the children would have on the crowd. The man carrying the one child certainly looked suspicious of the attention, and although Dowla tried to move them forward, President Solo, the man, and Master Skywalker stopped to observe the natives watching them.   
  
Greatly daring, Rialle broke free from her mother's grip and pushed her way through the crowd, slowing to a walk in front of the two older children. She stared at them, and they stared back. Finally she said, "Hi, where are you from?"  
  
The President glanced at Dowla with an expression more amused than alarmed. "What did she say?"  
  
"She wanted to know where they are from," he replied, uneasy at the unexpectedness of this encounter. Lotah could share that sentiment.  
  
The boy looked up at the President. "Can we tell her, Mom?"  
  
Oh. Lotah had been wondering why the President would bring some children along on a diplomatic mission. They were her children. Melana had mentioned that this was an 'unofficial, official visit,' whatever that meant. Maybe that was why they'd been brought along.  
  
The President nodded permission, and the boy said, "We're from Coruscant. I'm Jacen."  
  
Dowla translated, and Rialle smiled shyly at the younger boy. "My name is Rialle. Lotah saved me from the offworlders. What are you doing here?" This was all delivered in a pleasant tone, completely innocent. Rialle wasn't making a connection between these offworlders and the last ones, she was just making a string of unrelated comments.  
  
Dowla translated again. Lotah saw a flash of alarm pass across the President's face, but she was more interested in the boy - Jacen's response. "Mom said that she told everyone we're on vacation, but we're supposed to be really good while we're here," he made a face, then dropped his tone to a whisper, "because it's a secret, but Mom's really here on business."  
  
The President and the man exchanged smiles while Dowla translated. Rialle smiled at the boy, who smiled back. "I'll show you the village later," she promised. "I know the whole thing."  
  
"That's very kind of you," the President said after the translation. "We'll be sure to take you up on your offer." She followed Dowla through the crowd to the hotel.   
  
Lotah, without meaning to, found herself listening in on a conversation between Melana and Master Skywalker. "Lotah," he murmured, "Is that the one..." Lotah didn't hear Melana's response, but he answered, "Her! She's so young..."  
  
Lotah took a few quick steps forward, taking her out of the range of their conversation. 


	22. XXII

When they got to the hotel, Dowla immediately took them upstairs to the Council Chamber, as they'd dubbed the room that the Council regularly met in. The big com system was in one corner, and a table took up most of the floor space. "Wait a second," the man with the children said suspiciously, examining the com. "This is Imperial technology." His hand was already on a blaster strapped to his thigh, and he looked around as if expecting an ambush. "What's going on here?"  
  
"We salvaged that after the battle - we want nothing to do with the Imps," Dowla said calmly, using Lotah's terminology.   
  
"Battle?" Master Skywalker asked. He turned to Melana. "What have you been doing here?"  
  
Melana glanced at Dowla for permission to answer - after all, this was his show. "A remnant of the Empire had control of this planet up until a week ago. They were using it for slave labor. All of the Imperials on the planet and the cruiser are either prisoners or dead, but they fear reprisals from the Imperials. That was why we requested an immediate meeting."  
  
"Wait a minute. A week ago? What happened here?" the man asked. He'd turned the children over to a woman with white hair, who had taken them into a nearby room. So the man was more than a babysitter, although he still hadn't been introduced.  
  
"We attacked the offworlders at once, both on the ground and on the cruiser. We had weapons we'd stolen from them, and had the element of surprise. We took control of the cruiser so that they wouldn't attack from orbit, and also took control of the port, which is the only spot on the planet that the offworlders were interested in."  
  
"And you just killed all of them?" the man asked skeptically. "By yourselves?"  
  
"We have many prisoners, which we would be happy to turn over to you. The rest are dead, and we did do it by ourselves," Dowla replied in an even tone.  
  
"Prisoners?" the President asked.  
  
"We have the captain of the cruiser. She was part of a group that traveled around the galaxy, killing those with the potential to manipulate the Force," Melana said, mostly to Master Skywalker. "We... I thought that you would want to interrogate her, to end that." Her manner made it clear that if he didn't do something about it, she certainly would.  
  
The President nodded, and Lotah sensed her gather her thoughts, and realized that she also had some ability with the Force. "You wish to join the New Republic?"  
  
"That is our wish," Dowla agreed.  
  
"What services could you provide for us, in return for protection?" she asked. Lotah sensed that she wanted to help, but that she owed her first allegiance to her people. It was a good quality, especially in a leader.   
  
Dowla picked up a potted plant that had been resting on the table - it looked like decoration, but Lotah had put it there specifically. "This is called idkla, but it is known elsewhere as id. It is a highly toxic poison, and almost undetectable in food or drink. It kills in hours, and only shows up in the bloodstream after the victim is already dead. Our home is the only planet where it can be grown, due to environmental factors unique to this planet. The Imperials were selling it to warlords, thieves, and murderers. We would offer it to you, to do with as you wish."  
  
"The New Republic doesn't assassinate its leaders."  
  
Dowla shrugged. "Then you can destroy all of it, or leave it alone. Aside from a few traders scattered throughout the galaxy, our people are the only ones who know how to make the poison from the plant. There are other plants, less deadly, but still unique here, and we would be willing to trade." He glanced at Lotah. "I have also been told that the sky here is considered unusual, and others might want to see it."   
  
The President looked sharply at Lotah, but answered Dowla. "It is astonishing. But what would you ask in return?"  
  
"Just protection from the Imperials, and others who would want to enslave our planet. As you can see, we are a young race. We have no factories or means for making weapons or starships. Our people are learning, but it will take time."  
  
The President nodded again, and glanced at some of the people who had accompanied her. They all nodded. Lotah wasn't sure if she was pleased with that - many of them had shifty eyes, as if they were planning to use this planet as a weapon in some political arena. But if it got the planet protection, then she wasn't about to argue. "We will need to speak longer to make all of the arrangements," the President said. "All of your legislative bodies should be present."  
  
Dowla glanced around. "We are all here." She looked surprised. "We only gained our independence a few days ago - our government is not very expansive yet."  
  
"Maybe it will make things easier," the man quipped, and the President did her best to hide a smile.  
  
"We would, if it is agreeable, have some of our allies also be there. They are more familiar with offworld customs, and have agreed to help represent our interests." The President nodded permission, or approval. Lotah wasn't exactly sure which one Dowla had asked for. Tiros and Lorb had already agreed to help out, and Tian, Melana, and Lotah started to file out. Everyone else here was either on the Council or was going to sit in on the meeting.   
  
"Wait," the President said, and Lotah paused in the doorway. Melana and Tian were already in the hall. "Who are you?" She was talking to Lotah.  
  
Lotah felt cold all over. "What?"  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Master Skywalker was staring at her, and Lotah felt like he could stare right through her. "My name is Lotah."  
  
"You're not staying?"  
  
"I'm not on the Council."  
  
"They why were you here?"  
  
Lotah wasn't sure how to answer the question. She had been included out of respect and because of all the natives, she had the most experience with offworlders. But she had no experience in negotiating anything more important than a deal for some clothes with a shopkeeper, so it didn't make any sense for her to stay now. But all of that was complicated, and didn't really explain anything. She had been included because she had led the rebellion and because she was the first to really escape, but she doubted that the President would understand that.  
  
She hesitated a little too long, and Dowla answered for her. "Lotah is the first of our people to return, and she was our leader during... for the last several months."  
  
"Her?" the man asked, and Dowla nodded solemnly.  
  
"What do you mean, returned?" Master Skywalker asked, and Lotah suddenly had the feeling that she was being double-teamed by the three of them. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.  
  
"I was taken from here as a young child, as a slave. I'm the first person ever taken from this planet who has returned."  
  
"You led this planet for several months?"  
  
"Well, not the whole planet. Just the rebellion. I..." she trailed off, at a loss to explain the entire problem with being a red here. "I knew more about the galaxy and offworlders, and fighting, than anyone else on the planet. Tiros and Melana knew more, but they wouldn't follow another offworlder. So I just told everyone what they told me."  
  
"You did more than that, Lotah," Tian protested from outside, and as much as she liked him, Lotah would have given a great deal to punch him in the face right then, even though he was only trying to help.  
  
She shook her head and walked out the door. To her surprise, Master Skywalker and the man also joined them in the corridor outside. "You're not staying?" she asked, and they both shook their heads.  
  
"I'm not officially part of the New Republic government," Master Skywalker said.  
"And I'd just mess things up. Diplomacy is my wife's department, not mine," the man said.  
  
"Wife?" Lotah asked.  
  
"Didn't you know?" Tian asked. "This is Han Solo. He's a New Republic general, and President Solo's husband."  
  
"Good to see someone here knows what's going on off-planet," Solo said approvingly, and Tian blushed with the praise. "How did you get involved?"  
  
"Melana hired my father and me as pilots. She was hunting the people who killed her mother, and we ended up here, with Lotah."  
  
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Skywalker asked Melana.  
  
"I found the woman who ordered my mother murdered," Melana hesitated. Lotah knew that she was supposed to have killed the woman, who happened to be the captain, but had captured her instead, to protect the lives of other Force-sensitive beings. "She's being held in the prison. She was the captain of the cruiser. It's been hunting Lotah and other Force-sensitive beings for years, either capturing or killing them. You can see her whenever you want."  
  
"Wait a minute. Force-sensitive? Her?" Solo looked at Lotah.  
  
Lotah nodded shortly. She'd never told anyone that plainly before.   
  
"Melana said you had some training?" Skywalker asked gently, trying not to frighten her, but at the same time there was an intensity behind his eyes. He really wanted to know this.  
  
"A little. Only a few weeks worth. When I was eight, this..." she'd never had to describe Op before, and still didn't know what species he was. "This... his name was Op, and he told me I had something called the Force. And he taught me to do a few little things. But he was killed by a bunch of stormtroopers, and I ran away. There was someone... I don't know, but he got in my head when I was running away. I thought I escaped, but about a year ago my master died, and I got sold to that woman. I didn't know she was the captain of an Imperial ship until I got here."  
  
"What did he teach you?"  
  
"He taught me to go into a light trance, and to help heal myself, and telekinetics." She hesitated, then drew her knife and held it in the air in front of her with her mind. "Like this."  
  
Suddenly the knife was pulled from her grasp by an invisible hand, and it flew to Master Skywalker. He plucked it out of the air and handed it to her. "You're good at that."  
  
"Thank you." Lotah had never seen anyone else move things with their mind before, except for Op. Melana couldn't do that, but she said that was because she didn't have a gift for it. But this was the first time in years Lotah had seen someone other than herself do things like that.   
  
"I'd like to hear about Op, if you don't mind."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"We've lost so much Jedi knowledge - we don't even know the names of most of the Jedi Masters who fought in the clone wars, before the rise of the Emperor. Any knowledge you have could be valuable."  
  
Lotah nodded again. She wanted to ask him about the Dark Side, but she was afraid. What if he said that she was going to fall to it no matter what? What would she do then? She reminded herself that fear was a part of the Dark Side. She had to ask this question, if only to protect her family and friends. "Master Skywalker, may I ask a question?"  
  
He seemed surprised by her question. "Yes, of course."  
  
"When Op taught me, he told me about something called the Dark Side, that if I ever used my powers in hate, that I would become... I wouldn't be myself any more. The man who worked for the Imps wanted me to use the Dark Side, because he said I would be useful to them that way. Before I came here, whenever I did something that hurt someone else, to defend myself, I always felt the pain of whatever I did to them. I couldn't kill anyone, because then I would die. When I got here, that was the first time I ever hurt someone without also feeling it. I thought it was because I was defending someone else, not myself. I used my power to kill that man, the one who wanted me to turn to the Dark side, and I was all right, I thought because I wasn't just defending myself. But since then I've been feeling other things. There was this one man, and I wanted to kill him. I could practically feel his bones snapping under my hands - in that moment, I wanted to kill him more than anything else. I didn't, and the feeling hasn't returned, but it will, I can feel it. I wanted... I need to know, if I'm going to turn no matter what. Because if I am, and there's nothing I can do about it, I'm going to leave now, before I do anything to anyone I care about."  
  
"The Dark Side is there for all of us, all the time. Anyone could step over the line, and anyone can be redeemed. But there are no definite rules, and no one is trapped on one path. You can learn to control your hate, control your anger, just as Melana is learning. The danger is still there, will always be there, but there is no way to end it. There is good and evil in any soul. But you have the opportunity to help many others with your gift, if you can learn to control it."  
  
"I won't become someone else?"  
  
"No one is ever exactly the same person they were yesterday, but your future is not fixed. You will always become someone else, but you can help determine who that someone will be. That choice is up to you."  
  
That wasn't what she'd meant, and she had a feeling that he knew that, but he had answered her question. "I don't want to turn to the Dark Side."  
  
"You are welcome to come and train at the Jedi Academy. I believe Melana will also be returning," he said with a nod to the woman.   
  
"You'd train me?"  
  
"With many others, all who have the gift. We dedicate our lives to protecting those who cannot protect themselves."  
  
Lotah shivered, and crossed her arms across her chest. Even now she could feel the scarred tissue on her back pulling slightly where it didn't stretch like normal skin. That was what the Force had brought her so far - scars, and pain, and running for her life. And a family, and a home, and freedom for my people. I never would have ended up here if not for the Force. "Would I be able to come back here?"  
  
"It's a school, not a prison. The apprentices are free to come and go as they please, as Melana has shown. But once you become a Jedi, you are bound by a code and responsibility far stronger than any force-field."  
  
"I didn't really have a choice in the matter. I'm stuck with this, no matter what."  
  
"There is always a choice. You could choose never to use the Force again, to forget what you have learned."  
  
"But..." All of the pain, the terror of her year of fleeing... all that she'd learned, the people whose lives she'd changed... Rialle would be on her way to a life of slavery. Lotah didn't make a claim to much wisdom, but she had learned much, and many of the lessons had been painful. "I couldn't leave all of that behind."  
  
"You've already made a choice. Now I offer you another, to come train at the Jedi Academy. You don't have to make it now - the offer will always be open."  
  
Lotah nodded, then pushed open the door. The white-haired woman and the three children were inside, playing a holographic game that involved maneuvering a character through a three-dimensional maze. It looked a little silly, but the kids seemed to be enjoying it, and Lotah was willing to bet that Rialle and some of her younger siblings would also enjoy it. Lotah suddenly realized that she'd never seen kids just playing like this before, not in real life. She'd seen it in holographic movies and heard of it from others, but her own childhood had consisted mostly of work - she'd enjoyed it at the time, but had never owned any games like this. And all of the children here worked with their parents as soon as they were able - they came up with their own games to amuse themselves, but nothing was ever made for them to play with. Lotah liked to think that maybe her younger siblings, her nephew, and others of Rialle's generation might be able to play games like this.   
  
"Hi, Dad," the boy said without taking his eyes off the game, but the girl jumped up and hugged her father's leg.   
  
"Can we go exploring?" she asked, staring up at him.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea, Jaina," he answered. "Maybe later."  
  
"But I want to see some other kids! Mom said that I might be able to, here."  
  
"I can bring Rialle over," Lotah said quickly. "Maybe a few others. I know they've never seen a game like that before."  
  
"Pleeeeeze, Daddy?" the girl asked.   
  
He was obviously concerned, but nodded. "I'll stay here, too," he said to the white-haired woman in a low voice. Lotah didn't mind - the children of the President of the New Republic probably would be targets for kidnapping - it made sense that he was a little paranoid. She went to find Rialle.  
  
---------------------  
  
Half an hour later Rialle, Dalin and Jilla were playing with the two older children. They didn't speak each other's language, but it didn't seem to matter as the boy showed off some of the games he'd brought along. Wyn watched skeptically, suspicious of an activity that had no real purpose, but she smiled occasionally. The rest of Lotah's family had come along, too, and were watching the games. It was as good a way as any to pass the time until the others were done with their meeting.  
  
"Master Skywalker - the Jedi - has offered to let me train at the Academy," Lotah said to Jen. They were standing a little apart from the others, watching the antics of the children, who looked as if they were having the time of their lives. "I think I'm going to accept his offer."  
  
"When will you be leaving?"  
  
"You knew?" in her surprise, Lotah broke back into Basic. She had wanted to talk this over with Jen before anyone else. She'd only found him a few months ago, and didn't want him to think that she hated him or anything.  
  
"I didn't know what it would be exactly, but we all knew that you would be leaving. I am glad it is something that you wish to do."  
  
"How did you know? And who's 'we all'?"  
  
"Dowla, the Council, Erpit, everyone who knows you. We knew that you couldn't stay here forever - you'd be miserable, and no one wants that. You need to travel, to see more of space. We just want you to come back and visit."  
  
"You knew me better than I knew myself. I always wanted a family, but I never imagined that it wouldn't be enough."  
  
"Your need for something more is contagious. Already Wyn is making plans to go out off-planet."  
  
"Wyn?!" Lotah's voice was loud enough to attract Wyn's attention.  
  
"You don't think, sister, that you will be the only one of our people off-planet? We have a lot of catching up to do, in order to survive in the galaxy. I'm going to find a way to learn, and then come back and teach our people how to build ships to go to other planets," she grinned. "Rialle says that she'll help me when she's old enough. Where will you go?"  
  
"I've been invited to train at the Jedi Academy."  
  
Wyn considered that, then nodded. "You will do well there."  
  
"What do you know about the Jedi Academy?" Lotah asked.  
  
"I know that if you want to go there, it must be a good place, and that you will do well where ever you go." And with that, Wyn walked to Rialle, whispering something in her ear that made the little girl giggle hysterically.  
  
Lotah was speechless. She'd become aware in the last week that Wyn had changed more than the girl had let anyone know, but she hadn't expected this.   
  
"She's right, we do have a lot of catching up to do. We will need more to go out and learn things that we can't here. Dowla's already started looking for other volunteers, and asking Lorb and Tiros ways that they can get off-planet to learn. We're also planning an expedition around the planet, to visit each and every village. Telnara will come with us, and speak to the oranges. You found that Rialle's mother was willing to give up her life in the village, there may be others like her who have not heard of us or could not come along."  
  
Lotah finally got her voice back. "And you, brother? What is your plan in this vast scheme?"  
  
"For now, I want to raise my son, and have more children that may grow up free. I want them to play games!" he gestured to the children. "Who would have imagined such a thing? Things made just for children to play with! After that, I don't know. I could do anything. That's the idea, isn't it?"  
  
Lotah smiled. "I guess so."  
  
"So when will you be leaving?"  
  
"I don't know. I have to talk to Melana and Master Skywalker. I hope I can leave with them - it will be hard to get off-planet once they leave."  
  
"Then perhaps you should talk to them now."  
  
"Not now. Now I just want to watch them play. I never got to."  
  
"Neither did I. But they will, now. So will all of their children, on forever. It's a nice thought."  
  
"I'm not thinking right now. Just watching."  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
The diplomats were at it until well into the night. Lotah invited the visitors who were not involved in the agreement to come to her family's dinner. The children were already asleep when word finally arrived that the meeting had concluded. They all hurried back to the hotel. Tiros had a weary but smug smile on his face, Dowla looked excited, and as usual, Lorb was expressionless. The tired visitors were escorted to undamaged rooms, and Tiros explained the basic terms of the treaty. The New Republic officially owned the cruiser, but would leave it here, along with another ship to protect the planet. They would provide a crew for it, but the natives would also be trained to use the ship. The planet would be officially under the protection of the New Republic, and agreed not to trade with any planets not in the Republic. The Republic was taking some unusual spices with them, nothing special on the planet, but nearly unheard of in the rest of the galaxy. Tiros admitted he'd been surprised that the Imps had bothered to export spices at all, but since they had the monopoly on them, they'd been able to drive the prices through the sky. The Republic would start distributing them, and a good deal of the profits would come back to this planet.   
  
The reason it had taken so long, Tiros explained, was that there was a bit of dissention when it was realized that those here in the port were a minority, and that most of the planet hated offworlders. Dowla had proved to be a greater speaker than anyone had realized, and had managed to explain the situation so that the people accompanying the President hadn't walked out, as they had threatened to do.   
  
Lotah finally fell asleep, still not having talked to Master Skywalker. She woke up after four hours of sleep. Ever since she escaped she hadn't been able to sleep more than six hours a night, and the rush to get everything organized for the rebellion had cut that down to four. The sun was just beginning to rise, so she went outside to watch it. After all, this might be the last time she's see it for a while. The light show in the morning was fabulous. For no particular reason, she found herself wandering away from the port, into the grasslands that surrounded it. She just wanted to be alone with the beauty of the sunrise and the Force for a minute.   
  
She was surprised when, almost a klick from the port, she almost stumbled over Master Skywalker, laying on the ground, staring at the sky. "I... I'm, sorry," she exclaimed, releasing the knife she'd started to draw.   
  
"It's all right," he said, quickly getting to his feet. "It's beautiful," he continued, gesturing towards the horizon.   
  
"Yes, it is. I haven't had much time to look at it, but I remember thinking about it when I first arrived, before I knew this was my home world."  
  
"You didn't know?"  
  
"No. I only met my family a few months ago. I never even knew they existed before then."  
  
"I know what that's like. I didn't meet Leia until I was almost twenty." He fell silent for a minute, while Lotah worked out that he was talking about President Solo. That was some family. "You said that you met your family," he continued, "are your parents still alive?"  
  
"They're alive..." Lotah hesitated, then decided to tell him the truth. "... but they might as well be dead. I'll probably never see them again. Did they tell you about the rebellion?" he nodded. "Well, did they tell you about the second rebellion, when we all left our villages?" He shook his head. "People who look like me on this planet are generally slaves. They were all slaves until I arrived. My parents grew up as slaves, thinking it was their proper place in life. I think they still love me, but they're also ashamed of me, because I went so far away from what is right, or what they think is right. At least I still have the rest of my family, my brothers and sisters and my nephew. They really gave up more than me, because I barely remember my parents, for them, it's losing someone they've known all their lives." She was also silent for a minute. "How about you? Are your parents still alive?"  
  
"No," he said after a moment's hesitation. "No, they're both dead."   
  
She sensed there was more to it than that, but that it was also painful, and didn't press him further. She wouldn't want someone interrogating her about when she had been beaten, or when Op was killed, even though she'd probably have to tell him about it later.   
  
"I've been thinking about what you offered," she said slowly. "I want to go to the Academy, as soon as possible. I've already said goodbye to everyone."  
  
"You're welcome to come with us when we leave," he immediately answered.  
  
"When will you leave?"  
  
"Later today, after we get that tour we were promised." Lotah smiled as she remembered Rialle's offer.   
  
"We'd better get back. It's really not safe to be out here alone, I should have warned you, but many plants here have toxins to protect them from foragers, and there are also several animals that will attack humanoids."  
  
"You came out here."  
  
"Well, it's different for me. I can feel..." Lotah trailed off as she remembered who she was speaking to. "Never mind. Before Melana, I'd never met anyone with the Force other than myself. It's going to be weird, having so many people around."  
  
"It's still a very rare gift. And you are unusually strong."  
  
"I am?" Lotah remembered the man saying something to that effect during one of his speeches, but hadn't been paying attention at the time.  
  
"The training will be hard."  
  
She wasn't sure what had spawned that unrelated comment, but answered it anyway. "I'm not coming to take it easy. If I wanted that, I'd stay here and be a farmer."  
  
"It's a big commitment. And it's for life."  
  
"I've been a slave, I've been a leader. I'm ready for something else. I hadn't done anything with my powers but help myself until I got here, and it felt right. I want to do more."  
  
He didn't say anything, but she felt his approval.   
  
Several minutes later, he started walking back to the port, and she followed him. After all, he was going to be her teacher.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
By mid-afternoon, the delegation was ready to leave. They had received the promised tour from Rialle, who was angry with Lotah because she was leaving and hadn't told the girl until the end of the tour. She made Lotah promise to visit, and declared her intention to follow in a few years. Her mother began to look rather nervous about then, and Erpit quickly hurried them off. Lotah had said goodbye to him last night, and was grateful for his leaving - this was going to be bad enough as it was.  
  
A few minutes before takeoff, Lotah said goodbye to Jen. She actually gave him a hug. She still wasn't comfortable with that sort of thing, but she wanted to remember him that way. "I'll come back, I promise."  
  
He smiled. "From anyone else, I'd think they were crazy, but I think you'll do fine. I'll be here when you come back."  
  
"I may not be," Wyn said smugly. "I'm going up to train on the cruiser first rotation."  
  
"Good luck," Lotah said, and meant it.   
  
Then there was a long, awkward silence, before Jen suggested they get clear from the engines exhaust. Lotah waited for the offworlders, holding her bag. She was absolutely no good at these goodbye things. But then, she'd never had anyone to say goodbye to before.   
  
She was surprised when Tian showed up holding a bag. "What are you doing?" she asked.  
  
"They're giving me a ride to Coruscant. I'm going to apply to the New Republic fleet."  
  
"I'm sure you'll make it." It was the truth. He was an excellent pilot. "What about your father?"  
  
"Don't worry about me," Tiros said, emerging from Cahi, followed by Lorb. "Lorb and I are going to team up for a while, do some shipping. All legal, you realize," he said with a smile and a wink. "Now that my son's going to be in the service."   
  
"Shipping?"  
  
"Melana doesn't need Cahi any more, now that she's going back to the Academy with you. So she gave Cahi to Tiros and Lorb," Tian told her excitedly.  
  
"Because she's a ship, Melana can't free her," Lorb said in his deep voice. For the first time Lotah could remember, he was smiling broadly. "But I won't sell her. We're going to be a team," he turned and slapped the hull of the ship.   
  
Tiros groaned half-heartedly. "I can't believe I agreed to this," he muttered, but he was also smiling. "They're the sorriest excuse for a ship and pilot that I ever saw."  
  
His complaints were cut off when the main door to the hanger opened and the Council and New Republic representatives came in. Melana was with them. The two parties exchanged polite good-byes, and then the New Republic party boarded the ship, leaving only Master Skywalker behind. He climbed into the fighter - he would meet them at the ship orbiting overhead.  
  
Melana bade the other offworlders a polite goodbye, although they all could feel the emotion that she was hiding. She had a small bow for Dowla and the Council, who bowed back, just as formally. Then she nodded to Lotah and Tian, and walked into the ship. Lotah hoped she could managed to be as polite and dignified when she was saying goodbye, but doubted it. To her surprise, Dowla and the rest of the Council bowed to her, and Dowla reached out to take her hand. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done," he said in their native tongue. "Because of you, my greatest dreams have become a reality."  
  
"You gave me a family, a home, and a future," Lotah replied, trying not to blush. "I couldn't ask for more than that."  
  
In the meantime, Tian was hugging his father, and Lotah remembered that they'd never been parted before, not for any real amount of time. She saw tears in both of their eyes, although she was sure they'd both deny it later. When they finally separated, Lotah smiled shyly at the offworlders, nodded once more to Dowla, and looked at Tian. "Let's go." For the first time she could remember, she was the one who reached for his hand, and also for the first time, he didn't take it. Instead, he turned to face her, and put a hand behind her neck. Before she realized what was happening, he kissed her firmly on the lips.  
  
He pulled back, a worried expression on his face. Finally he said, "Say something, Lotah. Am I going to get a knife in my guts, or will you call me from the Academy, once I start training for the New Republic?"  
  
In response, she smiled, grasped his head with both hands, and kissed him back. "I'll definitely call you," she whispered.   
  
They entered the ship hand-in-hand.  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
  
  
205 


End file.
